MKM Stadium - Home of Hull City FC and Hull FC
In May 2023, Hull City FC was recognised as the Best Stadium Retail Operation in the UK at the Stadium Experience Awards, outperforming all competitors. This achievement was the result of a dedicated focus on enhancing the customer experience and reinvesting surplus profits back into stadium facilities.
Over the past few years, we introduced an innovative Street Food offering that quickly gained widespread acclaim among home and away supporters. This fresh approach to stadium catering helped Hull City FC become the leading club on Footy Scran, boosting fan engagement and driving a 62% increase in spend per head. In fact, catering profit has surged to 174% during the 22/23 season which was achieved through our partnership approach with the club where we worked together to create a food vision for the fans. This involves fun and engaging collaborations with the Club, such as inviting fans to vote to select their favourite Street Food for each fixture.
Year on year we have invested in the infrastructure to deliver award winning Street Food. Over the longer term this has resulted in a 500% increase in spend per head during the past 11 years with the club receiving critical acclaim from home and visiting fans alike.
Hull FC also received industry recognition, winning the Stadium Experience Silver Award for fine dining excellence and a Bronze Award for the Events Sales Team. These accolades reflect our commitment to delivering outstanding experiences across all levels of hospitality and retail.
Excellence in every detail, at every level.
We have enjoyed a collaborative and productive working relationship with the clients at Hull and their comments about our service validate the efforts and contribution of all our staff:
"VCP have been our catering partners at Hull for over 11 years and in that time, we have seen significant growth in sales, profits, and service. They act as one with the club and their team integrate with the club’s senior management, so their approach is seamless. This approach along with a strong strategy and budgeting helps create a plan for the team to focus on and this empowers them to be creative in delivering new ideas and use local provenance for food menus.
We have won the best hospitality provider in the UK three times and Best Retail Caterer in 2023 at Hull City because of their focus and determination to challenge us all and improve food and service year on year. Our Street Food offerings across the stadium have brought great kudos for the club from our fan base, national coverage as leaders in our field and a sponsorship deal for the commercial team too. They are truly partners to the club and we continue to enjoy a positive and productive relationship with VCP.”
Joe Clutterbrook Chief Operating Officer, Hull City FC
Street-food revolution for the Tigers and the Airlie Birds
SPH increased by 62%
Increased by 174%
Increased by 500% during 11 year tenure
Multiple winners at the Stadium Experience Awards, including Stadium Retail Operation, Fine Dining Excellence and Event Sales Team awards.
Take a closer look at other success stories in the VCP portfolio.
We drove growth through innovation for the home of Hull City and Hull FC with a 62% increase in spend per head.
Street-food to energise the fans and elevated hospitality experiences made for a great start to this new contract.
A total operational review made sure the catering operation is now more guest focused and increasingly profitable.