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The Times, City Diary - 17 Jul 07

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TEN YEARS ON, HELLO AGAIN.  REMEMBER ME?

Welcome Break, the motorway services operator, seems to be enjoying a new lease of life now that its finances are on a firm footing.

Recently it took over the catering at the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone and it is hoping to complete the double by securing the concession on the French side of the Channel.  Rod McKie, Welcome Break's chief executive, is also looking at branching out by pitching for concessions at airports, here and overseas, although he dismisses any suggestion that the company is diversifying away from its core competency: "We believe we are the masters of the 20-minute dwell time." 

Winning the Eurotunnel contract provoked mixed feelings for McKie, as it involved replacing the Pret A Manger outlet with Welcome Break's Coffee Primo brand.  Ten years ago, when he was operations director of Pret A Manger, McKie was responsible for winning the original concession for the sandwich group.