Contract Catering & Casual Dining Sector

Causeway Capital merges Patisserie Valerie and Bakers + Baristas

www.propelinfo.com – 08.03.2020

Causeway Capital has announced the merger of its two portfolio companies – Patisserie Valerie and Bakers + Baristas – creating a “high-quality” patisserie and coffee group with more than 125 locations throughout the UK and Ireland. The new group will continue operating under its two brands that will retain their existing individual in-store offerings. Bakers + Baristas is a barista coffee and fresh bakery operator with locations in shopping and outlet centres throughout the UK and Ireland. The business has grown sales from £11m in 2015 to £22m in 2019.

Mount Charles wins €10m catering contract at Maynooth University

The Irish Times - 18.02.2020

Outsourcing group Mount Charles has picked up an estimated €10 million contract to provide food and drink services to Maynooth University. The deal will add to the Belfast-based company’s significant client portfolio in the Republic, which includes RTÉ, the Abbey Theatre, the Customs House, the Public Appointments Service, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the National Aquatic Centre and Griffith College Dublin. The Griffith College deal is worth €9 million to Mount Charles, and industry sources speculated that the slightly larger Maynooth deal would be worth about €10 million over the four-year term. The main student restaurant, Phoenix, has been rebranded as Urban Square Food Co and Urban Square Coffee Co. Mount Charles has also launched– Pop – which offers sweet items, in addition to its own Mexican street food brand, Coco Diablo. It has also refreshed a Starbucks cafe already on site.