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Chartwells Universities has reaffirmed its commitment to innovation in higher education catering with a renewed long-term contract at Swansea University, backed by additional investment to further transform the campus dining and social spaces.
The move reflects Chartwells Universities’ strategic focus on enhancing student wellbeing, embracing digital-first solutions, and supporting local supply chains.
Since the beginning of the partnership in 2021, over £2.5 million has been invested in upgrading facilities across Swansea University’s two campuses. The contract will see further capital allocated to a wide-ranging refurbishment programme – including a rotating dark kitchen offer with both healthy and affordable options in both campuses, as well as seasonal food pop-up stations in the main staff and student social spaces. The new 24/7 catering offers will bring a series of innovative smart vending solutions that offers freshly made hot and cold food on-the-go, any time of day across both locations.
Swansea University’s Taliesin Arts Centre Café & Bar is also undergoing a full modernisation to offer a new daytime food and drink menu for students and staff, as well as future plans for an evening service tailored specifically for theatre and cinema audiences – all championing local Welsh ingredients and suppliers which all tie nicely into its proud heritage as a renowned Welsh Arts Centre in Swansea.
Additionally, Chartwells Universities will integrate carbon labelling into to all of its campus-wide marketing as well as across Time2Eat, Compass Group’s own UK digital platform.
The investment programme has been designed to reflect the modern needs of the university’s students and staff, with an emphasis on social, community spaces and adding diversity beyond the existing Greggs, Tortilla, and Subway franchise partnerships.
Rachel Carter, Managing Director at Chartwells Universities, said: “We’re proud to continue our partnership with Swansea University and invest in a future-focused dining experience that reflects the needs of today’s students and staff. From embracing local suppliers to introducing smart technology and flexible food concepts, our goal is to create spaces that bring people together and support wellbeing, sustainability, and community.”
Ben Lucas, Associate Director of Commercial Services at Swansea University, added: “This investment marks a significant step forward in our commitment to enhancing campus life. Working closely with Chartwells Universities, we’ve created a food and social offer that’s modern, inclusive, and rooted in our community. We’re really excited to continue our partnership and to further evolve the Swansea University campus experience.”
According to the 2026 UK Facilities Management Market Research Report by askporter, facilities management professionals want clear, verifiable evidence of work being delivered, with teams that can communicate progress in real time. This requires technology that is affordable, intuitive, and quick to adopt.
Yet the report found that:
Over three quarters of FM professionals (76 per cent) experience operational inefficiencies caused by siloed software which results in a lack of real-time visibility.
Communications challenges lead to maintenance issues, with 73 per cent of teams being forced into reactive problem-solving on a weekly basis.
A worrying level of compliance gaps, with 44 per cent of admitting that half or less of their compliance tasks are tracked and automated within their systems.
Closing this gap requires the establishment of transparent and consistent communications using affordable software that gives FM teams the ability to track, evidence and improve their services.
This webinar provides a valuable overview of the main findings of the report by askporter followed by a panel discussion by FM thought leaders on practical, strategic solutions that can help close this communications gap.
To register for the webinar taking place 29 January 2026 at 11:00am click here.
