The Independents Holding Limited

What The Independents Holding Limited does

The Independents Holding Limited trades as Lexington Independents and is a UK-based contract catering company focused exclusively on independent schools. The company delivers daily meals, event catering, and hospitality services directly on school premises, supported by dedicated client support teams. Its offering is differentiated by an emphasis on nutrition-led, sustainable, and ethically sourced food designed for children, with allergen management and dietary compliance positioned as core functional capabilities.

Lexington Independents operates as a subsidiary of Elior UK within the broader Elior Group, a global contract catering and support services company headquartered in France. Elior Group operates across 11 countries with approximately 133,000 colleagues and 1,200+ sites, providing Lexington Independents with corporate backing, procurement scale, and shared service infrastructure. The Lexington brand portfolio at the holding-company level includes three sub-brands: Lexington Independents (school catering, the core), Lexington (general London catering), and Lexington Reception Services (front-of-house reception). The legal entity of record is Lexington Catering Ltd, a private limited company registered in the United Kingdom.

The business model is B2B and recurring in nature: revenue is generated through negotiated, multi-year catering contracts with educational institutions on a per-school basis. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct relationships, account management, and on-site tasting experiences. The company maintains an ongoing compliance programme covering the Modern Slavery Act, annual Gender Pay reporting, ISO 14001 environmental management, and Investors in People Gold accreditation. Marketing is conducted primarily through a corporate website, content publications under Lexy Insights and Lexy Publications, and the wider Elior UK marketing infrastructure.

Name

The Independents Holding Limited

Legal name

Lexington Catering Ltd

Website

https://lexingtonindependents.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lexington Independents is a UK-based contract catering company providing nutrition-led, sustainable food services exclusively to independent schools, operating as a subsidiary of Elior UK within Elior Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Catering Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Third-Party Food Service Management & Outsourcing (EDALADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Vending, Kiosk & À La Carte Food Programs (On-Campus Retail) (EDAEAEAI)

Keywords

• School catering services
• Institutional food services
• Nutrition-focused catering
• Sustainable school meals
• Independent school catering

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Catering Services: Provides catering and food services to independent schools, including meals, events, and hospitality services. Revenue is generated through contractual arrangements with educational institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Lexington Independents provides tailored B2B catering and nutrition-led food services for independent schools in the United Kingdom, delivering daily meals, events, and hospitality offerings directly at school premises. The company operates three sub-brands (Lexington Independents for school catering, Lexington for general London catering, and Lexington Reception Services) and is supported by Elior Group's procurement scale and sustainability programs including the Positive Foodprint Plan.

Product overview

Lexington Independents is a catering company providing food services to independent schools. The company operates under the Lexington brand umbrella, which includes three sub-brands: Lexington Independents (school catering), Lexington (general catering), and Lexington Reception Services. The offering is structured as a single unified catering service with multiple specialized divisions targeting different market segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lexington: Catering services for independent schools
• Lexington Reception Services

Products and services

• Lexington Independents School Catering A B2B catering service providing daily meals, nutrition-led menus, and hospitality for independent school pupils and staff on school premises.
• Lexington Catering (London) General catering services offered by the Lexington group to clients in London across sectors beyond independent schools.
• Lexington Reception Services Reception services offered by the Lexington group to client sites, complementing its core catering offering.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Elior GroupflagshipOthersParent company providing strategic direction, resources, and operational support. Elior Group is a global catering and support services company operating in 11 countries with 133,000 colleagues. Lexington Independents operates as a subsidiary/brand within the Elior UK portfolio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo UK: UK arm of global facilities management and contract catering giant, with a sizeable education segment including independent schools. Comparable in contract catering model and UK independent school customer base, though it operates as a broad multi-vertical incumbent rather than a specialist.
• Compass Group UK & Ireland: UK subsidiary of global contract catering leader, operating education-focused brands including Scolarest. Comparable contract catering capability and UK school customer overlap, though positioned as a broad-line incumbent with significantly larger scale than Lexington Independents.

Direct peers

• Holroyd Howe: Specialist UK independent school and education caterer with a long-standing focus on the independent school segment. Highly comparable niche positioning to Lexington Independents with similar client base and premium service model.
• CH&CO: UK hospitality and contract caterer with a strong independent school and education segment. Closest direct peer to Lexington Independents given overlapping focus on independent school catering with nutrition-led and sustainability-driven positioning.
• Baxter Storey: UK independent education and workplace caterer, part of the WSH group. Directly comparable to Lexington Independents in serving UK independent schools with premium, chef-led catering offerings and similar contract model.
• Taylor Shaw: Sister brand under Elior UK focused on school catering, including state schools. Directly comparable operating model, parent group, and contract structure as Lexington Independents, with overlapping UK education market exposure.
• Caterplus: Elior UK sister brand focused on catering for the care and senior living sector. Comparable operating model, parent group backing, and contract-based recurring revenue structure as Lexington Independents, though serving a different end customer vertical.
• Caterlink: UK education catering specialist serving schools and colleges. Comparable to Lexington Independents in B2B school catering focus, contract structure, and nutrition-driven positioning, though with broader state school exposure.
• Mellors Catering Services: UK contract caterer with significant education and school catering focus. Comparable B2B contract model and education vertical exposure to Lexington Independents, operating at similar scale within the UK school catering segment.
• Edwards & Blake: Elior UK sister brand focused on school and workplace catering in the UK. Shares the same parent, operating model, and contract catering infrastructure as Lexington Independents, making it a directly comparable in-group peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lexingtonindependents

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Independents Holding Limited