Elior swoops for Westland Helicopters catering deal

Contract caterer Elior has won a multi-million pound deal with helicopter manufacturer Westland Helicopters replacing long-term incumbent Compass Group, Caterersearch can reveal.

Westland, part of AgustaWestland, makes commercial and military helicopters including the Apache attack helicopter, which is produced in the UK under licence from Boeing.

Westland made headlines in 1986 when Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine sensationally quit the Cabinet after a row with Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher over the manufacturer's future.

Elior's Avenance will cater for staff at the firm's Yeovil facilities in Somerset.

Although the details of the contract are still being negotiated, Compass's Eurest, which held the contract for more than a decade, was most recently operating under a five-year deal worth £7.5m in total turnover.

Elior has also picked up financial services firm Pershing, based at East India Dock in London's Docklands. The deal will see Elior's Avenance provide staff feeding and hospitality at the site in a three-year deal estimated to be worth £250,000 in annual turnover. The previous contractor was Initial's Autograph Foodservice.

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By Chris Druce