Sodexho wins £6.4M new University business

Sodexho has used the information from its University Lifestyle Survey to develop TheUnity, Sodexho's new offer in the university sector. TheUnity comprises a comprehensive portfolio of food offers and has been developed to provide flexibility outside of the traditional catering hours within universities.

A key finding from the 2006 survey was the need for longer opening hours and with this in mind a pod-structure for the serveries has been designed. From October Sodexho will have installed TheUnity into five sites which includes its new three year contract at the University of Bradford which has an annual turnover of £900,000.

Peter Taylor, head of universities at Sodexho said: "Bradford were looking specifically for a partner who could provide an eco-friendly service and TheUnity offer encompasses this with elements such as ethical products on sale, bio-degradable packaging and a recycling programme."

Two other new contracts which will see TheUnity installed for the new academic year are Dartington College of Arts in Devon (five years, annual turnover £170,000) and the University of Bedfordshire, Polhill campus in Bedford (seven years, annual turnover £550,000).

Other wins for Sodexho are with Holborn College, London, an independent law college with £170,000 annual turnover for five years; the University of Nottingham's Sutton Bonington campus, a seven years contract with an annual turnover of £850,000 and University Partnership Programme's Broadgate Park a privately-owned residential campus near Nottingham with an annual turnover of £650,000 for ten years.

Sodexho is also celebrating retaining a number of contracts as well. Sodexho has provided full facilities management services for the Avery Hill hall of residence at the University of Greenwich through Carillion for the past ten years and has now extended its contract for a further 20 years. The annual turnover for the contract is around £800,000. Greenwich was the first PFI-type project in this sector. The services provided by Sodexho includes catering, housekeeping, reception, porterage and handyman, security, grounds and building maintenance and waste management.

Finally Sodexho has not only retained its extensive facilities management contract at Hackney Community College for a further two years, it has, through a joint venture with the college, launched a brand new conference facility on the college's Lincoln Fields campus. Sodexho's contract with the college has an annual turnover of around £2.3 million and sees over one hundred staff working on the contract. The college has 5,000 students and 500 staff.

Peter concludes: "It has been an exciting time for us, never have we won so much business in such a short time. The benefit of knowing what students are looking for through our now biennial research has been crucial in the development of our new service offer. With this in mind and our vast experience within this sector with establishments large and small we can offer clients the perfect partnership."

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