Sodexo buys workplace caterer Olive, 160 contracts

Sodexo has acquired Olive Catering Services, an independent workplace caterer based in Atherstone, Warwickshire, that runs 160 contracts across UK offices, factories and distribution centres.

The deal, announced on 6 October, brings Olive's roughly 1,000 employees into Sodexo's UK and Ireland business. Terms were not disclosed. Olive was founded in 2004 and has grown steadily inside the business and industry catering sector, which serves staff canteens and workplace food rather than public-facing restaurants.

Olive's latest full-year results show turnover up 8.3% to £50.3 million for the year to December 2025, from £46.5 million the year before, with pre-tax profit rising 11% to around £4.1 million. The company won 25 new contracts in the period and projects £58 million in revenue for 2026.

Together, we can now build on these strengths to provide an exceptional workplace offer to the market.

Sodexo UK & Ireland chief executive Jean Renton said the acquisition strengthens a part of the business built on smaller, operator-led brands rather than one mass-catering model. "Together, we can now build on these strengths to provide an exceptional workplace offer to the market," she said.

Olive's co-founders Sally-Ann Bradley, Andrew Norrie and Damon Brown will stay on through the transition, according to the companies. "Joining Sodexo creates new opportunities for our team members and clients and provides a strong platform for sustainable long-term growth," they said in a joint statement.

A roll-up of smaller caterers

Olive joins Modern Recipe, Fooditude and the Good Eating Company inside Sodexo's UK workplace portfolio, a set of acquisitions that let the group keep each brand's own menus and identity rather than folding them into one contract-catering label. The approach has let Sodexo compete for contracts that favour an independent-feeling operator over a visibly corporate one.

The acquisition follows Sodexo's recent win of Meta's global catering contract, giving the group fresh momentum in workplace foodservice just as Olive was forecasting its strongest year yet.

Why workplace catering is consolidating

Independent caterers like Olive have found it harder to compete for large corporate contracts alone, as procurement teams favour suppliers who can show scale, food safety systems and sustainability reporting across multiple sites. Selling to a larger group, while keeping day-to-day branding, has become a common exit route. Wider hospitality deal activity has picked up this year, with Christie & Co reporting more completed sales of restaurants and pubs too.

Sodexo has not said whether Olive's name and branding will continue after the transition, or how its 160 existing contracts will be managed during integration.