CH&Co owned catering firm, Ampersand has won a multi-million pound catering contract at music and events venue Sage Gateshead.
Over the next five years Ampersand will provide catering across the five bars, brasserie, cafe and events space at the venue which currently attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year. A team of 70 Ampersand staff will provide the services. The catering areas can cater for up to 400 guests, while the concert theatres can hold up to 3,600 customers at one time if both are in use.
The sum of the deal has not been revealed but it comes just two years after Centerplate UK announced a five-year deal at Sage which was worth £12.5m.
Paul Jackson, managing director of Ampersand, commented: “Even though Ampersand has contracts across the UK, Sage Gateshead is our first contract in the North East and it’s a very exciting opportunity for us. The building is incredible, the location is great and the facilities inside are amazing. These three elements give us a very good platform to build on with Sage Gateshead to maximise the potential of the venue.
“We have some very exciting initiatives and concepts that we’ll be launching with Sage Gateshead in January 2016 and these will help cement its place as the premier venue in the North East.”
Abigail Pogson, Sage Gateshead’s managing director, added: “We’re here to offer great music and great experiences and that’s why it’s important to us that Sage Gateshead’s bars, cafes and brasserie are a cut above.
“Ampersand won a highly competitive tender process with a combination of creativity, innovation and flair and we’re looking forward to working with them, and making a visit to our great building as enjoyable as possible.”