September 2019 - Mount Charles Group

Mount Charles Campaign For Dublin Facilities Management Growth

Posted on: September 23rd, 2019 by paul@stylografik.com

Last week Mount Charles erected a series of ‘tongue and cheek’ facilities management themed billboards. The billboards being erected around Dublin City Centre were filmed as part of a campaign to drive expansion in the greater Dublin area. As part of the planned growth, the oranisation will continue to offer specialist services including catering, cleaning, vending, security and event support. The video content shared across Mount Charles social media had a viral impact with a number of famed Dublin landmarks featuring within the content. We look forward to embarking on a period of growth in the Dublin market and building on on our roster of existing valued clients in the near future.

For more information on any of the above services please contact sales@mountcharles.com

Mount Charles Volunteer Catering Services At Wooden Spoon Event!

Posted on: September 9th, 2019 by Andrew

Ballyclare Rugby Club held the held the Wooden Spoon International Tag Rugby Festival on Saturday 8th June with over 900 players, coaches and support staff taking part in a fun filled day. It was an absolute pleasure for Mount Charles to volunteer catering services at the event and feed all these hungry folks throughout the day!

The following teams took part in over 160 matches in the U15 and Adult competitions:

Ballymena Bears, Newforge Taggers, Bantry Bay West Cork Jesters, Portadown Panthers, Barnhall Eagles, Seapoint Dragons, Coolmine Pumas, St Gerard Special School, DLSP Eagles, Stockport All Stars, Donaghadee Sharkies, Swansea Gladiators, Dunbrody Warriors, Dungannon Sharks, Vale of Evesham School, Garryowen Lyons, Virginia, Greystone Seagulls, Westmanstown Wasps, Hampshire Hurricanes, White Spire School, Harberton Special School, Wicklow Warriors, Killard Cougars, Witney Wolves, Mallow Barbarians and Clare Hares.

A huge congratulations to Ballyclare Rugby Club on such a well organised day!

boy in blue runs with Gilbert branded rugby ball from competitors in red in game of tag rugby

£1m Northern QTR Food Village Touches Down at Belfast International Airport!

Posted on: September 9th, 2019 by Andrew

The Northern QTR, Belfast International Airport’s new collection of restaurants and bar has officially opened, as the airport prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of travelers this Summer!

The NQTR includes four innovative food and beverage destinations including Coco Diablo Mexican Cantina and the popular all-Ireland brand Freshly Chopped, where healthy fast food is created in minimum time in open-theatre chopping stations. The Northern QTR also sees a refreshed Fed & Watered unit offering tasty food with locally sourced produce and the all new 24ft, 360 degree bar.

The concept, which has seen an investment of over £1 million from catering and facilities management giant Mount Charles, has created an additional 30 new full and part time jobs, with a total of 70 people now employed at The Northern QTR.

Head of Sales & Marketing at Mount Charles, Gavin Annon said: “We are excited that the Northern QTR is now open, and the early feedback from passengers has been fantastic!”

Joining the team at the official launch of the Northern QTR was little Faye Annon, granddaughter of Mount Charles’ Chairman, Trevor Annon. Faye came along to help raise awareness of two fantastic charities; Angel Wishes and DBA UK.

Four years old Faye has a condition called Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA), a rare bone marrow failure disorder which means her bone marrow does not produce enough red blood cells to sustain her life.

She relies on the general public to donate blood so that she can receive transfusions every three weeks. The Annon family are very grateful to blood donors for saving their little girl’s life every month but ironically the blood transfusions are having an adverse effect on her internal organs, leaving a bone marrow transplant as the best option to improve her quality of life.

Trevor Annon said: “We’re delighted that Faye was well enough to help us launch our new collection of restaurants today and as we begin our journey with the Northern QTR, we as a family are also on a journey to find a cure for Faye. She is a remarkable little girl and I’m so proud to have her as my granddaughter.”

“We are now trying to find a match for Faye to have this life changing, bone marrow transplant and while not a cure for DBA, it will exclude the need for blood transfusions. As Faye’s condition is extremely rare she is excluded from all charities bar one in Northern Ireland, which is Angel Wishes. DBA UK supports Faye and all families with DBA, helping to fund vital research into a cure and we’d like to say a big thank you to both charities for all the support they have given us since Faye’s birth.”

Mount Charles Nominated In 3 Categories At The Belfast Business Awards!

Posted on: September 9th, 2019 by Andrew

Mount Charles team members are delighted to have been nominated in the below categories at The Belfast Chamber’s business awards this Friday night in Titanic Belfast!

Over 100 of Belfast’s top businesses have made the shortlist spanning 21 categories & we wish everybody the very best of luck!

Mount Charles Selected as a Deloitte Best Managed Company for 2019!

Posted on: September 9th, 2019 by Andrew

Mount Charles are once again proud to be named as one of Ireland’s Best Managed companies in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards programme, in association with Bank of Ireland. We have successfully demonstrated superior business performance which was recognised at a gala dinner in Dublin 1 March 2019.

This year, 12 new companies join a network of 136 companies that were awarded the status of Best Managed. The Best Managed Companies network this year has total revenues of almost €11 billion, export sales of almost €3 billion and total employment of approximately 44,000 people.

Gavin Annon, our Head of Sales and Marketing said ‘It is an honour to be recognised once again alongside such credible companies, we are so proud of how the company continues to grow from strength to strength’

Anya Cummins, Partner, Deloitte said: “Well done to all of the winning companies on their achievement. The Best Managed Companies process is a rigorous one, examining every facet of an organisation, and the bar is set high by our judging panel. As ever, the spread of companies, right around the country and across a number of industries, underlines the importance of Irish and Northern Irish companies to the economy and in the midst of economic uncertainty, technology disruption, an open competitive market and full employment, the continued strong performance of these businesses is admirable. In the current environment, it is important for this contribution to be recognised, supported and showcased.”

Tom Hayes, Chief Executive, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking said: “It’s a challenging time for businesses in general, with the operating environment consistently and rapidly changing, due to technological developments, new ways of doing things, and challenges on the macroeconomic horizon. The Best Managed Companies this year have demonstrated that they can optimise each area of their business while always operating with an acute awareness of their environment, recognising the opportunities of expansion into global markets, in addition to strategic alliances and partnerships. I look forward to their continued growth.”

This year’s judging panel members were Frank Ryan, Chair of the Judging Panel; Brendan Jennings, CEO, Deloitte Ireland; Tom Hayes, Chief Executive, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking; Siobhan McAleer, Commercial Director at the IMI; Rose Hynes, Chairman of the Shannon Group Board and Origin Enterprises; and Feargal Mooney, former Chief Executive Officer of Hostel World.

Mount Charles Wins £75m of New Contracts In The Past Year!

Posted on: September 9th, 2019 by Andrew

Here at Mount Charles, we are proud to reveal that we have accumulated contracts worth a combined £75m over the last year. This exciting series of wins has led to a 20% boost in turnover to £40m for the company.

The new contracts in Northern Ireland include Belfast International Airport, bus manufacturer Wrightbus in Ballymena and Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council.

In the Republic of Ireland, Mount Charles has won tenders for the National Aquatic Centre, Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice and others.

Trevor Annon, our chairman and founder, said: “Over the past 12 months we’ve secured a substantial number of lucrative new contracts in what we feel is a clear sign that we are bringing an attractive offering to the table, in terms of value, quality and innovation in our approach.

“Our growth in turnover in a competitive marketplace is a hugely encouraging indicator that we are on course to achieve our target of £100m in revenue by 2025.”

Mr Annon strongly believes that the company still has room to expand in Northern Ireland, but believes the strongest growth potential is in the Republic.

“We’re delighted with the progress we’ve made in the last year, and thanks to increased infrastructure and a focus on strategic talent acquisition in Dublin, we believe we’re in a strong position to really push forward in Ireland in the year ahead.”

This month Mount Charles has also been named in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Programme for the ninth year in a row.

Last year we announced a £520,000 contract over two years with the Department of Finance in Clare House on Airport Road in Belfast.

During the year we also reached a franchise agreement with food retailer Freshly Chopped. The Irish healthy food specialist opened up in Belfast city centre in partnership with Mount Charles, on the former ground floor of The Apartment – which has since been renamed Hell Cat Maggies.

Mr Annon last year received a lifetime achievement award at the 2018 Aer Lingus Take Off Foundation Business Awards.

He was praised for his work in expanding Mount Charles, which the judges said had provided “true economic benefit not only for its employees and their families, but also for the wider NI economy”.

Mount Charles Host Belfast Chamber Networking Event

Posted on: September 9th, 2019 by Andrew

On Thursday 28th February, Mount Charles will host a Belfast Chamber Networking Event in Head Office. Join Belfast Chamber and Other Local Businesses at Annon House and hear Guest Speaker Gavin Annon, our Head of Sales and Marketing, share his own experiences in growing a family business into what Mount Charles is today.

RSVP to info@belfastchamber.com. This is a free event open to members and non-member from 5.30pm – 8.30pm, refreshments will be provided.

Mount Charles Vending Launch Competition To Win an I-Pad

Posted on: September 9th, 2019 by Andrew

Mount Charles launched a vending competition in Northern Ireland recently to Win an iPad in partnership with our client Translink. We placed 500 QR code stickers on confectionery items within machines across a number of our client’s sites. In order for customers to be in with a chance of winning, they must first purchase an item within the machine and following that scan the code via their phone.

Our aim at Mount Charles is to continually engage with our clients and their customers through innovation and show them we appreciate their support.

We will be selecting a winner at random from the list of entries we have received. Chris Annon, our Group Logistics and Vending Development Manager, will then be awarding the lucky winner an I-Pad on behalf of Mount Charles Group.

For more information on our Vending Services see sales@mountcharles.com

Finger icons point to a QR code on the reverse of a Kit Kat chocolate bar explaining how to win a chocolate bar

Archive for September, 2019