Online catering firm acquires competitor

Paul Mizen

Cloud-based catering service provider The EF Group has acquired menu management service provider Catercost.

The Manchester based EF Group acquired the firm for an undisclosed amount.

The 60-strong Denton based business which trades as e-foods, plans to bring a single menu planning, food safety and purchasing platform to market for all types of caterer.

Clients include hospitals, schools and care homes to hotels, restaurants, cafes and contract caterers.

The EF Group was launched in 2004 by chief executive Paul Mizen.

It serves hundreds of catering clients, operates a supply chain of more than 600 local, regional and national food providers across the UK, and manages over £80m in spend for its clients annually.

Mr Mizen said: “Profit pressures, food safety compliance, allergen awareness and the threat of supply disruption from Brexit are putting all types of caterers, and their ability to deliver a quality and value service to their customers, under pressure.

“This acquisition puts The EF Group, whose clients include, the YHA, HC One, and the Specialist Leisure Group in a strong position to be the primary supply chain partner to catering providers both in the UK and internationally.”
The company is also planning to use the purchase to help it expand outside of the UK, with clients already based in Australia, France and Spain.

Paul Mizen said: “We’re excited to be expanding the business by bringing Catercost on board, supporting our continued growth and job creation in the region.

“We’ll be serving a broader range of clients, developing even smarter technology solutions in the areas of food compliance and environmental impact reduction. We anticipate the need to expand our workforce in the Manchester areas in the near future.”

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