Twickenham Stadium, Home of England Rugby, was the place to be as, for six weeks from February 7th, England battled it out in the annual RBS 6 Nations tournament. The legendary stadium sold out of tickets for all three of England’s home matches, as Twickenham’s 82,000 capacity crowds were treated to a clean sweep of home victories. First Martin Johnson’s men beat Italy, then France, followed by their final encounter against Scotland on March 21st, with victory sealing them a second place overall finish. And to fuel the fans, Twickenham has changed position in the past year to bring fans a more eclectic lineout of appetising grub...
Twickenham Stadium’s impressive new South Stand development, which opened earlier this season, includes extra 5000m2 for hospitality and exhibitions.
Twickenham’s banqueting capacity has increased, with The Rose Suite seating up to 800 guests, while Level Two’s suites can cater for up to 400, bringing more opportunities for conferences with evening functions. Facilities also incorporate the 156 room 4* London Marriott Hotel Twickenham.
A strategic re-evaluation of the retail or ‘public’ catering at Twickenham has also scored, according to retail operations manager for the Twickenham Experience, Sharon Moy-Taylor.
“For the last three years, I have been looking after the retail or public catering arm of the business, with a view to improving what we offer food-wise and looking at ways to increase sales through fast transactions,” she said.
“As a chef for 17 years, then in hospitality for eight, I wanted to bring this knowledge and emphasis on quality into the retail side of what we do here at Twickenham. Aside from our bars, we don’t really have the space for our own retail catering, with 25 mobile units on the concourse run by external company Express Cafes, which sell 600-1,000 covers per unit. However, when it comes to the units we do own, we have injected something unique, a point of difference.”
Twickenham now has a range of kiosks that boast something different to standard fast food traditionally associated with leisure and stadia catering. “The Twickenham name is synonymous with quality and we have developed a very good range,” said Sharon.
“Our pies are only made with free range meat, we now have an Amoy noodle bar, and have also introduced a curry kiosk for great on the go chicken jalfrezi and chickpea and spinach korma.”
Sharon also decided to investigate the profitability of the ultimate winter warmer, soup.
The foodservice soup market is estimated at £49.2m, divided into dry, ambient, frozen and chilled formats(1), and the simple but fulfilling dish is behind one in five starters ordered(2). Research shows, however, soup has not reached its full potential out of home.
Sharon looked into what Heinz, the UK market leading soup brand, had to offer and discovered its new range of Heinz Select soup pouches in five hearty flavours, complete with delicious, chunky bits and based on old favourites from consumer feedback.
The premium, ambient soup, responding to consumer and caterers’ interest in health, wellbeing and nutrition(3), comes in Chunky Farmhouse Vegetable, Rustic Minestrone, Hearty Mushroom, Tangy Tomato & Basil and Sweet Carrot & Coriander, based on leading retail varieties(4).
“For the fan who doesn’t fancy a large meal, there’s nothing better on a cold day out at the rugby than a portion of steaming soup and Heinz is a brand fans know they can rely on,” she said. “It says quality and consumers appreciate what they are getting.”
Soup just does not get better than Heinz, demonstrated by the fact an overwhelming 19 out of the top 20 selling soups in the UK are from the Heinz Classic Soups range alone(5).
Available in boxes of six easy to open, one litre, standing pouches with a freshness and premium feel, the Heinz Select range is free from MSG, artificial colours and preservatives, and complies with the Food Standards Agency’s salt guidelines.
“Traditionally, rugby crowds like fish and chips and other types of fast food and you’re never quite sure how healthier, alternative options will go down,” said Sharon. “But the soup has been a winner, especially as there are a lot more females at the rugby now who don’t always want traditional fast food.
“We serve it up in 10oz cardboard flasks, which can be taken back to a fan’s seat to drink so they don’t miss any of the action.
“In the busy times – an hour before kick-off and during half time – we’re selling a Heinz soup every 20 seconds. We serve it up for £3 per portion, which includes a fresh bread roll. Because it is a portable meal, it can also be sold on the upper concourses during rugby matches and downstairs during concerts.”
Shonali Bandopadhyay, brand manager for Heinz Foodservice, said while soup was considered an easy profit earner for caterers, it was not meeting its full potential and alternative products had been called for.
“It’s incredibly important that we continue to exceed expectations with new innovations, and wet, ambient soups, accounting for £7.7m or 15% of the market, are considered to offer quality as well as being easy for caterers to store and handle.”
“Consumers are convinced of the unique Heinz taste, so to heighten enjoyment further, we’ve developed Heinz Select soups, a range of superior quality recipes, complete with delicious, chunky bits. Our choice of varieties based on old favourites with a twist, meanwhile, was not hit and miss but based on direct consumer feedback.”
Twickenham also levers Heinz’ strong brand equity through branded induction soup kettles and boxes for speedy operations. These are high quality catering appliances which hold 5ltrs of soup and come with a full 12 month manufacturer’s warranty.
References
1. AC Nielsen Delivered Wholesale and Cash & Carry Data
2. Heinz research
3. Heinz research
4. IRI data 2007
5. Source: Brand Tracking, May 2007