Wilson Storey Halliday and BaxterSmith Announce Merger
Wilson Storey Halliday and BaxterSmith today announce that the companies have merged their operations. The deal merging the companies completed on 24 November 2004 and as from 01 January 2005, they will begin trading under the new name of BaxterStorey. The company will continue to provide high quality eating and drinking refreshment services for the business and industry market.
The merger of Wilson Storey Halliday with BaxterSmith brings together a team of 6 senior executives who between them boast over 100 years' catering industry experience. Every member of the team has successfully led operations within FTSE listed catering service providers and William Baxter and Mike Smith as well as Alastair Storey, Keith Wilson and Linda Halliday have built independently owned food service operations that have rapidly grown to become their respective market leaders. They are joined by Noel Mahoney as Joint Managing Director.
With an annual turnover of £75m, Wilson Storey Halliday was the UK's largest independently owned contract specialist independent food service management company. These figures combined with BaxterSmith's £30m turnover, has created a new tier in the independent market, giving BaxterStorey an increased financial lead on the sector's independently owned business.
BaxterSmith began life in 2000 and was privately owned and managed by its founding directors, William Baxter and Mike Smith. Similarly, Wilson Storey Halliday which formed in 2000 following the merger of Wilson Storey and Halliday Catering was owned and managed by Keith Wilson, Alastair Storey and Linda Halliday.
Speaking about the decision to merge Wilson Storey Halliday with BaxterSmith, Alastair Storey, Chief Executive, BaxterStorey, said: "We have always sought opportunities that will assist us to drive the quality of service we are able to deliver to our customers and the prospects we can offer our teams. BaxterSmith offered a great fit with our business. Our operations, people and culture strongly complement each other and as a single entity, the strength of our combined management team allows us to grow significantly and still provide a service for our clients that is led personally by the company's owners."
William Baxter, Deputy Chief Executive, BaxterStorey, welcomed the joining of the businesses and gave further insight into the new business: "BaxterStorey will continue to focus on the well received fresh food, great service, great people approach that became the signature of its predecessors. Our business boasts some of the sector's most experienced executives and outstanding talent and the combined force of our technical, commercial, culinary and service flair, presents a tremendous opportunity for an independent business to truly stake a claim on the foodservice market."