Casual Dining & Contract Catering Sector

Freshly Chopped signs 120-site partnership deal

Propel – 06.01.2022

Dublin-based, healthy fast-food brand Freshly Chopped plans to open 120 new sites across Europe over the next five years after agreeing a new partnership deal with Dutch company Fresh Food Fast Company International Holding. The deal will see the business open new sites in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Launched in Dublin in 2012, Freshly Chopped currently operates sites across Ireland, the UK (Manchester and Leicester) and Cyprus, employing over 1000 people. The new deal will see Fresh Food Fast Company own the Freshly Chopped master fanchise until 2032. The first site under the new partnership will open in February in Leiden, Netherlands, with a further seven outlets planned to open in the country in 2022

Compass Ireland to Launch Checkout-Free Store in 2022

Checkout.ie – 16.12.2021

Compass Group Ireland plans to launch its first fully “frictionless” checkout-free store in a workplace in early 2022. The Irish store, a first for the foodservice sector, is set to open in Dublin in the New Year and will be followed by sites in the UK during 2022. Frictionless units will be established within corporate clients’ offices as well as in the sports and leisure centres. The new stores will utilise AiF’s AI-powered computer vision technology which allows shoppers to purchase items in-store without having to wait in line or stop to scan or pay. The stores will typically stock a selection of both hot and chilled “grab-n-go” dishes, drinks and confectionery.