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Foodservice and outsourcing giant Mount Charles has marked 30 years in business this month by setting itself an ambitious turnover target of £100 million by 2025

The company, which works with more than 400 clients across the UK and Ireland, celebrated the business milestone with more than 200 colleagues, suppliers, friends and family in Belfast's St George's Market.

Founder and chairman Trevor Annon thanked the entire Mount Charles ‘family' for their unwavering support. “As Ireland’s leading independently owned catering and support services company, we are on a massive growth trajectory, with huge ambition to grow further across the UK and Ireland in the coming years," he added.

Aggressive Expansion

The Belfast-headquartered company secured a base in Dublin in late 2017 to boost aggressive Irish expansion plans. In September, Laura Stefan was appointed Ireland Operations and Development Manager. She is responsible for managing contracts for the company in the Republic of Ireland.

Over the last year, Mount Charles announced five contracts worth more than €8m in the Republic of Ireland. They have taken revenue to £40m and employee figures from 2,200 to 2,500.

Named by Deloitte in March 2018 as one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies for the eighth consecutive year, Mount Charles also won Cleaning Service Provider of the Year at the 2018 Facilities Management Awards. Trevor Annon also collected the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Aer Lingus Take Off Foundation Business Awards.

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Contract Wins

In the summer, Mount Charles secured a five-year multi-million pound contract with airline Flybe to provide services to its Exeter-based training academy and new Walker hangar. Mount Charles also won a contract with Firstsource across three of its regional call centres in the UK.

Additionally, Mount Charles announced a two-year contract worth £900,000 with the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, effective from April 2018.

The contract sees the outsourcing giant provide cleaning services to the entire NICTS portfolio of 40 locations. In September, Mount Charles entered a franchise agreement to roll out six standalone Freshly Chopped outlets in Northern Ireland and Donegal. Opening over the next three years, they will create up to 150 jobs.

Airport Investment

In October, Mount Charles also announced a seven-year contract renewal with Belfast International Airport, worth £30m and creating 20 jobs. For this, £1m is being invested to create the ‘Northern Qtr’. It includes the introduction of Mexican food outlet Coco Diablo and a new Freshly Chopped store, joining the existing Fed & Watered restaurant.

Further recent contract extensions, totalling £4m, include a three-year, £1m contract with Ballymena bus company Wrightbus. Extensions have also been secured on cleaning contracts with several education institutes.

Commenting, Mount Charles’ Managing Director, Barry Bryne, said: “Our vision is to be a business partner and employer of choice throughout Ireland and the UK. With the continued high levels of engagement and effort from our growing employee base, we are confident we are.”

Pictured (left to right): Gavin Annon, Head of Sales and Marketing, Mount Charles; Ulster University’s Amanda Castray and Patricia Ann Leach; Trevor Annon, Chairman and founder of Mount Charles; and Barry Byrne, Managing Director, Mount Charles, at the official opening of Freshly Chopped at Ulster University’s Belfast campus