Lexington’s CEO, Mike Sunley, and Elior’s Catherine Roe tell The Caterer how – and why – the partnership formed between the two companies at the end of last year has worked like a dream.
Mike says, “It was very much about protecting the Lexington brand culture, which is why we felt Elior was the right fit for us. We’re quite similar.”
He explains it was very much about maintaining business as usual for everybody. He says, “We’ve had lots of consultations to make sure everyone – our people and our clients – is happy with what we’re doing and where we’re going with it. We’ve been talking to them about how we fit into the greater Elior picture.
“Elior have been totally hands-off, really. They’ve put their arms around us where they’ve needed to and they’ve left us alone to do our own thing where we’ve needed to. I don’t think the clients have felt it.”
Ensuring Lexington continues to operate as a standalone entity, albeit one with the infrastructure and financial clout of a global organisation, has meant that it continues to pitch for new business on its own. As such, it was decided very early on that where either Elior or Lexington tenders for a contract, the other does not.
Mike says, “If it’s new business within the central London area that’s appropriate for Lexington and the client, that’s the brand we sell. We’re driving the sales for those types of clients from the Lexington camp. From day one we made the decision never to put Elior up against Lexington. That decision was a very quick win.”
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