Lindley Venue Catering wins £8.2m contract with Sheffield Wednesday FC

The five-year contract, which has a further two-year extension option, will see Lindley work with the League 1 club to develop a new hospitality-focused website as part of a package of sales and marketing initiatives and new ideas being introduced to boost revenue from non-matchday business – with particular emphasis placed on increasing conference and banqueting sales. The contract caterer is also aiming to increase per capita spend on the public concourse on matchdays through the launch of new concepts, strong retail branding and meal deals all aimed at encouraging more fans to purchase refreshments at the ground and tempting existing customers to uplift their spend. Paul Aldridge, SWFC's vice chairman, said: "The 2011-12 season ahead marks the start of a new era in Sheffield Wednesday's 144-year history and we have great ambitions for the club – both on and off the pitch. We have first class facilities at Hillsborough and we want to ensure that we offer superb catering to provide a great all-round experience for everyone who visits the stadium." Adam Elliott, chief executive officer of The Lindley Group, added: "Because of the sheer variety, flexibility and high calibre of the facilities at Hillsborough, there is tremendous scope for developing the catering, events and hospitality business at the stadium, and we feel very privileged to have been chosen to work with SWFC to maximise the revenue potential which can be derived from bringing new non-matchday business to their home ground."