04 | CUBO AWARDS 2014 | sponsored by Commercial University of the Year University of Essex
The University of Essex has succeeded in creating a subsidiary company to house its commercial activities, anchored by a dynamic approach to employee relations. “Creating a wholly owned subsidiary company to house the commercial activities of a university is fundamentally about cultural change rather than cost saving,” says Peter Church, Director of Campus Services. The
University of Leicester
Residential and Commercial Services (RACS) has consistently made a signifi cant fi nancial contribution to the University of Leicester while maintaining its core objective of delivering an outstanding student experience across each of its services. RACS generated a surplus of £3.1m in
2012/13, which constituted 44% of the University’s total surplus. RACS has been responsible for 28% of the University’s total surplus over the past fi ve years, increasing income by almost £3.5m to £28.5m, and surplus by around £1.7m. This strong, sustained success is evidence of a high performing, commercially focused
University of Sheff ield
UNICUS is a wholly owned subsidiary of The University of Sheffi eld, providing accommodation, restaurant, retail, hospitality, conferences, event and delegate management alongside the traditional Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS). Born in 2012, the vision was,
and is, to provide cut ing-edge and commercially competitive catering and hospitality to consumers, generating revenue
growth that supports University activities. UNICUS now employs over 500 primarily local staff and students on a variety of commercial contracts. This has made a signifi cant impact into providing employment for students within the locality and contributes to a major culture shift within the hospitality industry. The establishment of UNICUS
has enabled new ventures such as the 5* TripAdvisor rated
Halifax Hall boutique hotel, the Village Store, the 100-cover Inox Dine restaurant and ancillary event services to compete and secure business from private companies – rather than against other universities. The combined turnover growth of both ACS
and UNICUS shows an 8% growth from 2011/12 to 2012/13 and an expected growth of 41% for 2013/14 as a result of the success of the new commercially focused ventures. The activities have also generated fantastic
customer feedback and an abundance of PR including very positive articles, Twit er and blog commentary.
department whose contribution to the fi nancial sustainability of the University is highly valued by senior colleagues at a time when institutions are seeking to generate additional income. However, income
generation is not always the main driver of change. Giving the customer what they want is paramount, and this in turn leads to
commercial success. In the past 12 months,
Leicester’s Head Chef won a prestigious national award, Leicester became the fi rst university to receive Coeliac UK accreditation, and Stamford Court was accepted into Conference Centres of Excellence, all of which demonstrates that outstanding customer service and delivery are central to Leicester’s commercial success.
success story behind University of Essex Campus Services Limited (UECS) is testimony to this business philosophy. UECS was founded
in September 2010 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Essex to house not only the commercial business of conferencing, but also student experience activities such as catering,
residences, sport and a nursery.
Within six months a total of 150 staff were TUPE transferred into UECS with the remaining 150 staff to transfer in summer 2014. The transfers were eff ected following detailed consultation with employees and trades’ unions. The transfer of other trading activities
into UECS has been equally successful with signifi cant improvements in surplus aligned to corresponding investment in staff . The total number of employees in the subsidiary company has increased from 140 to 180 in the three years since its inception, a business KPI that has led the local Chair of Unison to describe UECS as a ‘shining beacon of good practice for the sector’.
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