April 2013 saw MITIE’s catering business rebrand as Gather & Gather (G & G) , a visual demonstration of how the business has changed, and how it intends to progress by focusing on bringing together the best ideas, ingredients, recipes and inspiration from the food industry so that customers can ‘gather’ together to enjoy them in the workplace.
However, the business was already growing strongly (see below), making the rationale behind the rebranding all the more intriguing: what (more) is it intended to deliver?
H & C News was therefore pleased last week to be given the opportunity to discuss with Allister Richards, managing director, both the rebranding and plans for the future….
Background
MITIE is a FTSE 250 strategic outsourcing company which has 70,000 employees and a business that has quadrupled in size over recent years. It entered the catering sector back in 1998, when its base was in Cirencester and contracts were mainly with the MoD, and expanded with the acquisition in 2008 of Catering Partnerships in Leicester.
Two years ago, MITIE recruited a new team to lead its catering business under its entrepreneurial investment model. Since then, the business has more than trebled its turnover through new contract wins and the acquisition of award winning hospitality company Creativevents, making it the fastest growing caterer in the UK and Ireland.
Now, turnover is around the £100 million mark, of which Creativevents is responsible for £15 million.
It’s clear, therefore, that the business was moving ahead strongly without the rebranding, both winning new contracts and growing existing contracts. And that, working with other ‘service’ units of MITIE, G & G can be part of offering – if required – an ‘integrated’ FM solution.
The rebranding
It’s fair to say that the G & G brand has not so far followed conventional lines. Take a look at the website – and it’s quickly apparent that this is not the standard ‘commercial’ website outlining services, markets served, clients, expertise, and so on.
The design is more adventurous and ambitious, clearly stating this organisation is ‘different’, and so are the sections on the website: Gather & inspire; food & flavours; style & creativity; people & passion; news & views.
Here is an organisation that is seeking to communicate its values and ethos, to attract potential clients that are interested in those values, and attracted by the ‘fit’ with their own business or values.
MITIE’s support
Though now a very large organisation, MITIE’s business model is not based on a corporate ‘manual’ or rule book that prescribes what is to be done and how. Instead, it encourages management to make decisions, be creative, employ and support talent, even take risks – its approach also enables senior management to have a stake in its business, adding further commitment and motivation towards achieving success.
The rebranding to G & G has had the support of MITIE, which has encouraged the team not to be afraid of being radical and unconventional in its thinking, though utilising design and research expertise to arrive at the final approach.
Key elements of the rebranding
- Food: at the heart of G & G is – obviously – food, and the need for food is a human necessity that also creates the chance for human ‘connection’: it’s not simply about providing lunch, it’s about making the most of the opportunity to bring people together to make them happier, healthier, more productive, and to encourage them to collaborate. Whether it’s fine dining in a top City of London enterprise, or the canteen in a blue collar manufacturing plant, the same opportunity – and challenge – exists.
- Food & Flavours: food needs to be eaten in season, tasting its best, but it also needs to be sourced in a responsible, ethical and sustainable way. G & G works with suppliers, both big and small, to get this right.
- Style & Creativity: G & G seeks to make bold statements, create food with personality and attitude, and be truly different. Their ‘style guru’, Clare Garcia, is tasked with identifying and capturing the best, communicating this through trend boards, featured new products, marketing and style ideas, and ensuring that her creative direction is embraced and applied to create a real point of difference.
- People & Passion: the approach and philosophy is simply to add value and have fun, celebrating the talents and characters of all employees. ‘Gather & Learn’ has been created to offer a big range of learning and development choices and ensure that everyone feels empowered, knowledgeable and confidently able to make a difference.
- Delphine: symbol of what makes G & G different? Found rusting away in France and affectionately named Delphine, this authentic 1960s Citroen H Van featured at the launch of G & G in April, and will play an important part in G & G as well as being out and about sharing real street food across the business.
Delivering great service through G & G’s culture
At the launch, Allister Richards, commented:
“Gather & Gather is a reflection of our business maturing from focusing on what we do, to how we do it. Bringing the ideas and creativity of a dynamic team together, and translating that into delivering great service.
“We’re re-addressing the balance between client, customer and caterer, and putting the customer at the heart of what we do, offering something truly different to the marketplace.”
In order to put and keep the customer at the heart of their operations, there is a clear understanding that all staff must be comfortable with how they deliver hospitality to clients, and that training combined with talent will be at the heart of delivering this.
And the future?
At £100 million turnover, and growing, G & G is already a substantial business, but there are plenty of opportunities to grow further – from blue collar to fine dining for industrial and commercial clients.
If G & G is successful in combining talent, creativity and delivery, there will be no shortage of opportunities in existing markets, though its people will undoubtedly also have ambitions to service clients in new sectors, or even create their own new offerings by launch or acquisition.
With a flourishing core business, these will be interesting – but enjoyable – challenges for Allister Richards and his team…
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