MAJOR hospitality company, Heritage Portfolio, has joined Centerplate – a leading event hospitality provider, which acquired and re-branded The Lindley Group in 2013.
Begins a spokesperson: “This deal strengthens the presence of Centerplate in Scotland while creating significant expansion opportunities for Heritage Portfolio south of the border.
“The value of the deal is not being disclosed. Under the terms of the agreement, the Heritage Portfolio brand will continue in their client sectors of historic homes, museums, art galleries, theatres and outside events.
“Centerplate’s existing heritage and outside events divisions will be combined under the Heritage Portfolio brand and Heritage Portfolio’s three directors – Alan Duff, Mark Miller and Ian D’Annunzio-Green – will continue in the business.”
Adds the spokesperson: “Created in 2002 through the merger of Heritage Hospitality and Portfolio Catering, the entrepreneurial Edinburgh-based company has become known for the quality of its outside event catering and operating café services at national art galleries and high profile visitor attractions.
“Heritage Portfolio has provided special event catering services at The Palace of Holyrood House since 2002, and last year was granted a Royal Warrant to Her Majesty The Queen as supplier of catering services.”
Other premier clients now served by the company include: the Scottish National Portrait Gallery; the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; The Signet Library; Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA); Hopetoun House and Musselburgh Racecourse, providing the perfect complement to Centerplate’s UK portfolio which includes the ACC Liverpool, Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, the Copper Box Arena and other premier sporting venues such as Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane and Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road stadium.
The move strengthens Centerplate’s presence in Scotland, where it already provides catering services at some of the top sports stadia including: Celtic FC, Hibernian FC’s Easter Road Stadium, Dundee and Dundee United FC’s grounds, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and Livingston FC.
Executive director of Heritage Portfolio, Ian D’Annunzio-Green, comments: “This exciting development offers Heritage Portfolio real opportunities to expand and grow the business within a group that has the same values and approach.
“With our continued focus on providing premium hospitality within historic properties, we will be expanding our business into England and further across Scotland, with the same dedicated team. In many ways it is business, but much better business, as usual.”
Announcing the new deal, Des Hague, president and CEO of Centerplate, says: “This is an exciting period of unprecedented growth for the Centerplate hospitality brand.
“I am delighted to welcome Heritage Portfolio to the expanding global family because we share the same business ethos in terms of offering high-quality guest experiences, a sense of local identity, and a hallmark of service that guests have come to rely upon and recognise as a standard-setter for the industry.”
Adam Elliott, president of Centerplate’s UK division, adds: “The addition of Heritage Portfolio contributes a great depth and diversity of expertise to the company, and their personnel and central resource unit will provide invaluable support in Scotland for our established heritage team.
“Combining our heritage and events divisions with Heritage Portfolio’s business, which has a proven track record in managing outside events as well as on-site cafés in Scotland, also provides us with an excellent platform to re-launch and re-brand our two heritage and outside events operations under the Heritage Portfolio name.”
Heritage Portfolio’s executive director, Alan Duff, concludes: “This is a momentous development for Heritage Portfolio and we are extremely pleased to be joining a global brand with the strength and experience of Centerplate.
“We have collaborated with Centerplate’s UK division on various projects in the past and have had a joint venture arrangement with them for some time, so we have already established a strong rapport with their senior management team.
“This natural next step affords us a clearer and more focused future. The added financial backing of Centerplate enables us to invest more in client service and delivery; it provides many more opportunities for our employees than we could have delivered on our own; and the platform gives us the ability to develop the Heritage Portfolio brand name beyond our heartland, which will remain in Scotland.
“In essence, this arrangement opens up new opportunities for all of us to be involved in a bigger and better company, whilst still focusing on the niche heritage sector in which we currently operate.”
ENDS
PRESS RELEASE issued by CM Porter Novelli. You too can post your story ideas for journalists (aka press or media releases), on allmediascotland.com. Email info@allmediascotland.com for more information.
Contact: Angela Casey
Phone: 01314703400
Email: angela.casey@porternovelli.co.uk
