Levy UK + Ireland, the sports and hospitality division of Compass Group UK and Ireland, has today announced a five-year extension to its current contract with The O2 arena, the world’s most popular venue, owned and operated by AEG Europe.
Core to the extension is delivery on key sustainability targets which support Levy UK+I’s main goal of achieving net zero in the UK by 2027, with operations at The O2 being set up to achieve net zero on F&B by 2025 – a venue first.
The renewed contract will continue to see Levy UK+I serve showstopping food and drink experiences with a best-in-class customer experience at The O2.
Jon Davies, Managing Director at Levy UK + Ireland, said, “Levy UK+I is proud to extend its partnership with The O2 arena, and is keen to build on the already innovative customer experiences it provides for each of the venue’s leading events.
'As part of our Levy Cares initiative, we remain committed to reducing waste produced within our venues whilst continuing to provide a wide range of food and drink experiences for guests. We look forward to continuing the great work we have already started here during this extended contract period.”
Adam Pearson, Commercial Director, The O2, noted, “Levy UK+I has been a key partner of The O2 and AEG globally for a number of years and we’re delighted to extend our relationship through to 2030.
'We have some exciting and ground-breaking technology innovations planned, as well as continued investment in our bars and restaurants at The O2, as we constantly look to improve the guest experience and wow our customers.
“Food and drink have a vital role to play in the pursuit of The O2’s net zero ambitions and wider sustainability aims – so we’re delighted to be working with Levy UK+I on what is a challenging but necessary target of net zero for F&B by 2025.
'We’ve seen from the recent Billie Eilish shows and Overheated events at The O2 that all of our key stakeholders are as passionate as we are about this and so we’re truly excited to see what can be achieved as we continue to raise the bar.”
Levy UK+I has been instrumental in delivering flagship climate activity at The O2, including the Billie Eilish Overheated event; the first ever climate-focused cross-campus takeover of The O2 and supported the arena in going 100% vegan for the six Billie Eilish shows. In February, Levy UK+I created menus for The BRIT Awards which centred around local and seasonal plant-forward offerings and introduced carbon labelling for concession food.
The partnership already delivers plant-forward options across more than 50% of the menus and utilises a POS data system that identifies consumer trends in relation to on-site stock levels, which can be an effective tool in reducing waste.
In line with Levy UK+I’s Recipe for Change – which seeks to highlight the responsibilities of all those within the food and beverages industry to reduce the impact of waste upon the environment – Levy UK+I has further committed to work in partnership with venues to use 100% seasonal sourcing for all menus by end of 2022, rolling out carbon labelling on every food menu to help guests make sustainably informed decisions, and have operational food waste under 1% by the end of 2024.