CH&CO appoints Elis to supply and launder workwear and linen

Contract caterer, CH&Co, has appointed Elis to supply and launder workwear and linen for over 300 sites in London and across the UK.

Elis has supplied over 20,000 individual items, including chefs’ wear, front-of-house garments, kitchen linen, table linen, bed linen and event linen and is providing a nationwide laundry service. Its industrial laundries and delivery fleets are collecting, laundering, maintaining and returning the workwear and linen to the individual CH&Co sites.

Katie Deem of CH&Co said: “We chose to work with Elis because, in addition to supplying high quality workwear and a consistent nationwide laundry service, they were also very proactive in recommending ways in which they could provide increased business benefits and create quicker lead times. Elis helped us streamline our product range of chefs’ wear, front-of-house garments, table linen and kitchen linen from over 7,500 SKUs to around 1,000 and RFID tagging was applied to all items to improve stock and cost control.

“The switch-over from our existing provider was handled extremely efficiently, with timings to match their exit plan and 113 site installations completed during the first two months of the mobilisation plan, despite this being during the covid pandemic. We were kept fully up to date with progress and any additional urgent requests were dealt with immediately. Elis really understands our business and were able to provide expert advice and adapt the plan to meet unexpected circumstances, such as when sites opened or closed due to changing pandemic restrictions.   

“Outsourcing to Elis has meant that we have a high quality, consistent workwear laundry service with increased business benefits. The RFID tagging means we have full visibility of where our garments are and when they are being used, and this allows us to continuously adjust stock levels at a local and national level to ensure Elis is providing the optimum stock for our business.”

Craig Easton of Elis said: “CH&Co are one of the UK’s leading prestige contract caterers and this, together with their growth through the acquisition of Gather & Gather, means they are an exciting addition to our contract catering portfolio. CH&Co operate out of a large number of sites, and our UK spread of laundries, our own fleet of over 650 vehicles and the fact that we do not sub-contract any work, means we can meet national multi-site customer requirements.”

Elis is providing CH&Co with workwear and linen items on a cost-effective rental arrangement, which provides flexibility for staff changes. Elis collects soiled items, professionally launders and maintains them and returns them to the same, allocated site.

Elis uses the latest technology in all aspects of its service; items incorporate tiny radio frequency ID tags which help to deliver superior stock control and accountability, and the highest levels of reliability.

Elis is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and holds the Carbon Trust Standard Certificate in recognition of its reductions in CO2 emissions and water usage over many years.

Elis has been operating its workwear supply and laundry service for over a hundred years. Its services also stretch beyond the UK, as part of a leading international provider of workwear and laundry services, operating in 28 countries.

Craig Easton of Elis said: “Ensuring that organisations have the right workwear and linen, clean and where they need it, is an essential service that goes on behind the scenes to support many businesses. Our nationwide capabilities and focus on using the latest technology and the best systems help to ensure that our clients have the right support to meet their needs, not only now, but for the future.”

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