Award-winning hospitality group, Applejack Hospitality has announced it is joining forces with global food and support services company Compass Group Australia to help grow and develop Applejack’s offerings across its venues.
It has been a strong 2024 for Applejack with the launch of its food and beverage partnership with Urbnsurf Sydney, and winning its second Best Bar Group Operator ALIA in the last four years.
Applejack Co-founder Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts said this partnership is set to fast-track Applejack’s growth strategy in 2025.
Carroll told The Shout: “This is about supercharging our growth, taking on more opportunities with an even broader portfolio, however staying true to our DNA of our industry-leading venues.”
The partnership will bring together two market-leading businesses, combining Applejack’s award-winning consumer experiences with Compass Group’s reach across multiple industries, to elevate the venue, restaurant, and event offering across the country.
Carroll and Watts said: “We are delighted that Compass Group approached us with this opportunity. Our shared values and mutual commitment to a people-first approach make this partnership a natural fit. Compass Group’s vision aligns perfectly with our business philosophy and passion for the industry.”
In terms of the scope this partnership offers the Applejack team, earlier this year the Compass Group – via its sports and leisure brand Levy – was appointed to deliver its premium hospitality services at five iconic venues across Melbourne Park.
The appointment at Melbourne Park marked the launch of Levy in Australia for Compass Group – which currently provides hospitality services in 700 locations across Australia. In the US and the UK, Levy has a proven track record of delivering exceptional culinary experiences for guests, operating in over 270 venues worldwide.
Compass Group Australia’s Managing Director, Jo Taylor said: “We’re thrilled to join forces with Applejack as two companies who are recognised throughout the communities in which we work as industry leaders, not only in our core service offering, but also our approach to sustainability, innovation, community engagement and inclusion.
“This partnership supports Applejack with their strong growth plans and strengthens our retail capacity as we continue to provide hospitality services to iconic and unique venues across Australia.”
Carroll added that it is business as usual for Applejack with no change to the day-to-day operations.
“The growth of our company will continue to be strategic and calculated – our continued focus is to add value to communities and our people,” he said.
It promises to be an exciting 2025 for Applejack, its team and this partnership, The Shout will keep you up-to-date with what is coming from this innovative group.