New Team Sponsor

[Huntley & Palmer]

Do Waitrose do event catering ?
Do they have the management and staff to run a catering outlet ?
Given how Compass seem tostruggle with what is their core business how would someone with no experience manage it (and I'm prepared to accept the answer could be that they'll do it a lot better !)

It doesn;t seem logical that the club would pull out of the Compass deal for the sake of a one year deal with Waitrose does it ?

Who said anything about Compass leaving? We have a new supplier, not necessarily a new service provider.

[Royalphil]

What betting a new away strip will be green-ish hoops to match the sponsor colours?

[Wycombe Royal]

Do Waitrose do event catering ?
Do they have the management and staff to run a catering outlet ?
Given how Compass seem tostruggle with what is their core business how would someone with no experience manage it (and I'm prepared to accept the answer could be that they'll do it a lot better !)

It doesn;t seem logical that the club would pull out of the Compass deal for the sake of a one year deal with Waitrose does it ?

Who said anything about Compass leaving? We have a new supplier, not necessarily a new service provider.

But I would guess that part of providing the service is to also provide the food from their own suppliers who they have deals with. I doubt we supply the food and tell them just to serve it?

I could be wrong though.

[TFF]

It's been suggested on here before that Compass provide the matchday stadium catering because they have to in order to secure the more lucrative and easier to manage event catering.

It might just be the case that they're happy to pass the concourse catering to someone else.

[Row Z Royal]

What betting a new away strip will be green-ish hoops to match the sponsor colours?

Orange diagonals here we come.

[Wycombe Royal]

It's been suggested on here before that Compass provide the matchday stadium catering because they have to in order to secure the more lucrative and easier to manage event catering.

It might just be the case that they're happy to pass the concourse catering to someone else.

The guy from Waitrose said they also hope to provide the corporate catering.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Do Waitrose do event catering ?
Do they have the management and staff to run a catering outlet ?
Given how Compass seem tostruggle with what is their core business how would someone with no experience manage it (and I'm prepared to accept the answer could be that they'll do it a lot better !)

It doesn;t seem logical that the club would pull out of the Compass deal for the sake of a one year deal with Waitrose does it ?

Who said anything about Compass leaving? We have a new supplier, not necessarily a new service provider.

But I would guess that part of providing the service is to also provide the food from their own suppliers who they have deals with. I doubt we supply the food and tell them just to serve it?

I could be wrong though.

Depends on what they negotiated, it happens in lots of other service environments. Would be very surprised if Waitrose took on the selling of food & drink themselves, would be a very odd move for them. I imagine they would sub contract it, possibly back to Compass

[T.R.O.L.I.]

Who said anything about Compass leaving? We have a new supplier, not necessarily a new service provider.

But I would guess that part of providing the service is to also provide the food from their own suppliers who they have deals with. I doubt we supply the food and tell them just to serve it?

I could be wrong though.

Depends on what they negotiated, it happens in lots of other service environments. Would be very surprised if Waitrose took on the selling of food & drink themselves, would be a very odd move for them. I imagine they would sub contract it, possibly back to Compass

Or a company that they (Waitrose) supply - especially with regards to wine sales. I'm sure RL & Hugo will be pleased if the wine quality increases

[Whore Jackie]

It's been suggested on here before that Compass provide the matchday stadium catering because they have to in order to secure the more lucrative and easier to manage event catering.

Nail on head. Compass would rather have nothing to do with the matchday catering. It's not that there's no money in it, more that they see so little of the cash at the end of it. Hence the Quickpay money-on-your-membercard trial they ran last season.

[Whore Jackie]

Those touting this as a conspiracy for RFC to attract the middle-classes are way off- RFC just aren't that sophisticated. They'll be happy to take the money from whoever, that it just happened to be a well-respected brand is a big bonus.

Don’t disagree. I’m sure there was some pretty derisory offers on the table. When Waitrose entered the frame there was only going to be one winner, no matter what they were prepared to pay.

It’s a win-win situation. Good exposure for Waitrose and John Lewis on the back of their expanded advertising campaign in tough trading times. And a big untapped market for Reading to exploit if they’re savvy enough with their marketing.

[soggy biscuit]

Barcelona's shirt sponsorship > any other shirt sponsoship in the world

[Dirk Gently]

Having said all that, as a brand it is somehow strangely appropriate. Like RFC, Waitrose is a highly reputable and much-respected company that acts with integrity.

But I was just on a conference call to a couple of Sunderland-supporting colleagues, and they both immediately said that to them Waitrose suggests middle-class, soft, Southern pooftahs - which is exactly the image that RFC has in a lot of places, so this sponsorship does tend to reinforce that stereotype.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

But I was just on a conference call to a couple of Sunderland-supporting colleagues, and they both immediately said that to them Waitrose suggests middle-class, soft, Southern pooftahs

Waitrose >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Netto (or whatever the shitty northern supermarket is called).

[Huntley & Palmer]

Morrisons/Somerfield

[Whore Jackie]

Morrisons is the premium Northern supermarket brand.

[Dirk Gently]

Waitrose has actually expanded a lot into the North of England recently.

When Morrisons bought Safeway, under competition rules they has to sell off many supermarkets where they had a Safeway and Morrisons in the same town, and Waitrose bought many of these sites to gain a presence in the North.

But of course we are talking about places like Harrogate and Wilmslow, rather than Dewsbury and Mansfield!

[RoyalBlue]

If the promising ideas are delivered, this could be a damn good thing for the club and, even more so for the supporters!

Waitrose quality food & drink (hopefully not at a premium to the current offering), Waitrose (John Lewis Partnership?) discounts for season ticket holders etc. Can't wait!!

thinking about it, who is going to want to walk around in a shirt woith Waitrose on it??
That's naff as feck.

Could have been worse. Fancy walking round in one with Asda on it?

Or even worse; 'Skint' or 'Loans Uk'

Perhaps on our return to the PL we can secure 'Fortnum & Mason' !!

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I wonder if the John Lewis slogan of "Never knowlingly undersold" will apply to all things RFC related for the coming season. Somehow I doubt it

[Only one Trevor Morley]

It says something aabout this year when this is the best Reading related announcement that I've heard. The fact that we'll have decent food as opposed to those dreadful roll over dogs and burnt sausage rolls is cause for celebration in my mind.

I cant quite get it into my head that I might enjoy eating something at the Madjeski rather than buying something just for sustenance.

[royalsteve]

You might have thought JM or someone senior might have gone along for the photo tho.

Shame it is not Tesco though, bogof on ST would go down well.

glad its not tesco otherwise we would have a tesco store in the centre circle 'cause they build wherever they please