Global catering specialist to serve up Lancashire Cricket’s hospitality offering
Lancashire Cricket has agreed a five-year deal with hospitality services provider, Sodexo Live! at its Emirates Old Trafford ground, covering catering for conferences and events as well as match-day hospitality.
The contract will involve a casual workforce of approximately 150 staff.
Working together, Sodexo Live! and Emirates Old Trafford – which has undergone a £75m redevelopment over the past 15 years – will introduce exciting and diverse menus designed to elevate the dining experience.
The food will be overseen by Sodexo Live! executive head chef Andy Hare, who will undertake a culinary training programme with Lancashire Cricket’s current chefs.
This will include opportunities for them to train and develop at some of the other venues Sodexo Live! partners with, enabling them to bring back new and exciting ideas, as well as a potential trip to Paris to Lenôtre Culinary School.
The school, which is owned by Sodexo Live! specialises in culinary arts, baking, pastry, restaurant management and Sommelier skills.
The teams will work together for the first time at this weekend’s sold-out IT20 fixture at Emirates Old Trafford between England and Australia.
Claire Morris, CEO Sodexo Live! UK&I, said: “This collaboration represents a fantastic opportunity to bring our food expertise in event catering and hospitality to one of the North West of England’s most iconic global venues.
“Furthermore, we feel incredibly proud to be selected as the club’s first ever Official Culinary Partner in its 160-year history. We thank Lancashire Cricket for putting its trust in us as our Experience Makers plan to deliver a standout service.”
Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive at Lancashire Cricket, said: “Sodexo Live! is a worldwide hospitality brand, with a proven track record of enhancing the culinary experiences across sports venues, conference centres and global events.
“Over the past 12 years we have quadrupled in size and our scale now requires an enhanced platform to really focus on the next stage of our growth.”
He added: “We know there is an increasing demand for varied, creative and distinctive menus that are tailor-made for different audiences across a range of events that we hold at Emirates Old Trafford. We believe Sodexo Live! has the expertise and vision to make a real difference to our food offering and enhance the whole event experience across cricket, conferences and concerts at the venue.”
Globally, Sodexo Live! supports some of the most well known and high profile sports clubs, events, and stadia.
In the UK it partners with Fulham FC, Brighton & Hove Albion FC, Newcastle FC, Nottingham Forest FC, and the home of Scottish football, Hampden Park as well as the prestigious Ascot Racecourse, and the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
Internationally it delivers events such as The French Open at Roland Garros, the Tour de France, the Miami Open and F1 in Miami, Indian Wells Open in California, plus stadia in the USA including the Hard Rock Stadium – home to the Miami Dolphins – and the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, home to Super Bowl LIX in 2025.
