Wasps Agrees New 15-year Partnership With Compass Group UK & Ireland

Wasps, rugby union club and owner of the Ricoh Arena has agreed a 15-year extension to the existing partnership between Compass Group UK & Ireland and Arena Coventry Ltd (ACL), the club’s subsidiary company, which runs the Ricoh Arena, in a deal expected to generate £195 million in total turnover.

Levy Restaurants UK, the sports, leisure and hospitality sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland, will provide all catering services for match day, conferencing and events until 2030, having retained and extended the contract which previously ran from 2007.

Compass Group UK & Ireland is one of several service partners of the Wasps Group, as well as official club partners; Land Rover, EMC2 and DS Smith, plus the club’s new Technical Wear Partner, Under Armour, which was confirmed last month.

Wasps recently announced a series of planned improvements for the Ricoh Arena, including a partnership with Hilton Worldwide to convert the Ricoh Arena Hotel into a DoubleTree by Hilton. 

David Armstrong, Group Chief Executive Officer, Wasps, said: “Alongside the tripling of match day attendances, hospitality has increased by over 500% in comparison to Wasps’ offering the previous season and the Ricoh Arena’s Conference & Exhibition business turnover has increased in the first six months since Wasps’ acquisition of the venue. We are confident both businesses will continue to grow as we aim to establish the Ricoh Arena as the UK’s leading venue for sport, business and entertainment.”