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Mills & Reeve said in an announcement on its website on 16 October 2026 that it had advised the founders of Olive Catering Services on the sale of the business to Sodexo.
According to the announcement, Olive was founded in 2004 and is described by the firm as a prominent independent provider of workplace catering in the UK. The firm said Olive employs around 1,000 people and runs approximately 160 contracts nationwide, with turnover reported at more than £50 million in 2025. The announcement said the deal will bring Olive under Sodexo’s workplace catering operations as the two businesses pursue further expansion in the sector.
Key points
- Mills & Reeve said it advised the founders of Olive on the sale of the business to Sodexo.
- According to the announcement, Olive was founded in 2004 and employs around 1,000 people across approximately 160 contracts nationwide.
- The firm said Olive reported turnover of more than £50 million in 2025.
- The announcement said Olive will be brought into Sodexo’s workplace catering operations as part of the deal.
- The firm said the transaction was led by Junaid Haroon, partner at Mills & Reeve, with support from Jade Allen and Abbie Miller.
The transaction
The announcement named Olive’s founders as Sally-Ann Bradley, Andrew Norrie and Damon Brown. The firm said its team worked closely with the founders throughout the process to deliver what it called a successful outcome and to support the business’s next stage of growth.
Reaction
Junaid Haroon, partner at Mills & Reeve, said: “Sally-Ann Bradley, Andrew Norrie and Damon Brown have built an outstanding business over the last two decades. Olive has established a fantastic reputation in the market through its unwavering focus on quality and client service. We were delighted to support the founders on this important transaction and look forward to seeing the business continue to thrive as part of Sodexo.”
Andrew Norrie, co-founder at Olive Catering, said: “Selling a business is incredibly stressful, but the Mills & Reeve team made the entire process seamless. They were proactive, highly responsive, and focused heavily on the commercial realities of the deal helping us avoid unnecessary legal gridlock. Their advice gave us total peace of mind. It felt a true partnership. A fantastic, reliable firm.”