Cover story
‘We’re leading the way again’
Caterer BM has its gaze firmly fixed on growth, with a host of contracts and new management in the form of Angus Brydon and Antony Prentice making it a reality. Emma Lake reports
T
he past four years have been a period of change for BM Caterers, after which it emerged with a new owner, lead-
ership team and name as well as a tranche of new contracts that have delighted managing directors Angus Brydon and Antony Prentice. The positivity around the business is proving contagious. “Not only are we back, we’re leading the way again. It’s exciting times,” says Brydon. He and Prentice have been at the helm of
BM (formerly Bartlett Mitchell) for 18 months. Their appointment came two years after the acquisition of the caterer by Westbury Street Holdings (WSH), parent company of Baxter- Storey, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bartlett Mitchell was founded in 2000 by
Wendy Bartlett and Ian Mitchell and set its stock in the marketplace as an independent, boutique caterer. Following its acquisition, Prentice and Brydon say the business, which continues to describe itself as “independently minded”, has maintained its DNA. Brydon says: “We were pleased it was WSH
that acquired us as we’d seen that other brands had been left to autonomously run their own businesses and we’ve been afforded the same opportunity. We don’t have aggressive targets from WSH, it’s more about us maintaining our culture, sensibly growing the business and keeping the promises made to our cli- ents of old. We are part of something that’s adding value to BM and we’re adding value to the wider group. We’re still BM, we just have some added benefits.” When the acquisition took place the busi-
ness and industry sector had been not so much rocked as capsized by the pandemic lockdowns and the mandated move to remote working. Almost four years on BM has more employees and contracts than it did in 2019. Almost four years on BM has more con- tracts than it did in 2019. Client retention sits at 97% and £10m of contracts have been won in the last six months, with turnover for
18 | The Caterer | 22 March 2024
“Competition is great for our sector as it keeps
us all on our toes” Angus Brydon
2024 expected to be in the region of £60m, exceeding 2019 levels. After the hardship of the pandemic years,
2023 saw the tide turn for the B&I sector as businesses looked to their catering providers to encourage workers back to the office. The result was four quarters of double-digit growth for the sector as a whole, according to analy- sis from CGA by NIQ, with BM among those benefiting. Brydon says: “Like other caterers we have seen growth, particularly in 2023, with the return to work and clients making decisions about being back in the office. “Some clients have taken the step of com-
pletely free issue. Others have looked at what they can do, and we have supported that. The biggest part of that support has been the col- lation of data, intelligence and real-life case studies, which has been a massive benefit. It’s been a really confident period. Nerves are dis- pelled and not only are we back, we’re leading the way again, it’s exciting times.” Prentice adds: “We actually have more con-
tracts now than we had pre-pandemic, which is perhaps surprising even for ourselves, but it shows that positivity. There’s definitely a con- tinual trickle of people coming back into the workplace and there’s more each week. Hybrid working is not going away, but I don’t think remote working is continuing to be a thing.”
Angus Brydon and Antony Prentice
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