The chief executive of BaxterStorey has said he expects to see sales return to pre-Plan B levels within the next fortnight.
Ronan Harte, who heads up the 5,500-strong caterer, said business was bouncing back quickly following the lifting of Covid restrictions last week.
BaxterStorey serves up more than one million meals each day across 600 locations in the UK, including the offices of Amazon, UBS and PwC.
Mr Harte said: “One week on from working from home restrictions lifting, we are seeing an incredibly positive impact on our business – this was certainly the update many hospitality businesses were waiting for.
“Unlike the previous return to the workplace in September, which saw a slow return for many businesses, this week we have seen a much faster return to the office, particularly within corporate offices in the financial and professional services sectors.
“Public sector office workers have been slower to return to the office, however, we know people have craved the social buzz of office working, and this has been reflected in an immediate return for many.
Mr Harte said the increase in people returning to their workplaces was reflected in its numbers.
“We are starting to see a strong return in sales, at 70% of pre-Christmas levels. Over the next two weeks, we expect these to be 30% up and back to the same levels as they were before the Prime Minister’s announcement in December.
“Although it’s still too soon to have a true picture, we are seeing a trend for Tuesday to Thursday office working, with most continuing to work from home Monday and Fridays.”
Mr Harte said the immediate challenge was to source enough labour to meet demand.
“As an industry, our focus now will be pushing our recruitment drive harder than ever before to ensure we have skilled and trained team members across all roles, from baristas and front-of-house to customer service and management.”
