Jockey Club Racecourses, the UK’s largest racecourse group, and Compass Group UK & Ireland, the leading provider of food and support services in the UK & Ireland, have extended their catering venture, Jockey Club Catering, for six years.
This extension will see the partnership continue until at least 2025 and is worth an expected £300m in turnover.
Jockey Club Catering launched in 2009 with an initial ten-year partnership agreement to provide top quality catering, hospitality and service at The Jockey Club’s racecourses nationwide, which include those at Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and Newmarket.
Since its inception, Jockey Club Catering has proved highly successful, driving growth in catering revenues at The Jockey Club’s 15 racecourses, while expanding and enhancing the food and beverage offer, facilities and experience for guests enjoying a day at the races.
Significant investments in facilities
Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said:
“Jockey Club Catering has taken our catering offer to another level and seen significant investments in new and upgraded facilities we offer customers on racedays and at our thousands of non-racing events staged at our venues every year. With this long-term deal I look forward to that going from strength-to-strength, such as through our forthcoming £45m planned development at Cheltenham Racecourse.”
Colin Bailey, Managing Director for Sports, Leisure and Hospitality at Compass Group UK & Ireland, said:
“Over the past four years we have worked hard to build an excellent relationship with Jockey Club Racecourses and the customers we serve, something the continuation of our partnership demonstrates. Key to this are the aligned values of both organisations and a commitment to delivering the very highest quality of hospitality for our guests. We are extremely pleased to continue working with Jockey Club Racecourses and really excited about the future as we continue to develop our first-class hospitality together.”
About The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club has been at the heart of British horseracing for 263 years and today is the largest commercial Group in the sport. Its interests include:
• Jockey Club Racecourses: The UK’s largest racecourse group by turnover (2012: £141.2m), racecourses (15), attendances (2012: 1.8m), quality racing (Group and Graded), total prize money (2012: £35.3m) and contribution to prize money (2012: £16.5m).
Runs a diversified portfolio of 15 racecourses in Great Britain: Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs, Exeter, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Newmarket (July Course and Rowley Mile), Nottingham, Sandown Park, Warwick and Wincanton.
The group stages four of the five ‘Classics’ of Flat racing (the Derby and the Oaks at Epsom Downs and the 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas at Newmarket), as well as the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree.
• Jockey Club Estates: The property and land management company responsible for the management and administration of more than 5,000 acres of land in and around the racing training centres of Newmarket and Lambourn, as well as an extensive property portfolio, including the Jockey Club Rooms.
• The National Stud: Transferred from Government to The Jockey Club in 2008, The National Stud is a commercial thoroughbred breeding enterprise with a commitment to provide training and educational programmes.
• Racing Welfare: A racing charity and company limited by guarantee with The Jockey Club being the sole member. The principal objective of Racing Welfare is to provide help to those in need who work or have worked in the thoroughbred industry, and their dependants.
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