The £25m contract will support the Base, which is home to two thirds of The Royal Navy’s surface fleet and a number of commercial shore activities that are operated by BAE Systems Maritime Services.

Serving around 5,000 customers a day, Elior will provide catering to BAE Systems employees and Royal Navy personnel from a number of outlets. These will include: a Wardroom, Senior Rates Mess & Junior Rates Mess, two cafés, two retail shops and a number of takeaway kiosks and mobile catering units.

Elior will be serving food from 7am until 11pm, seven days a week, focussed around three meals a day, as well as providing hospitality services across the site.

Stewart McCulloch, Head of Sales, Defence, Elior UK, said, "This fantastic win has involved a cross sector approach in order to fully meet the needs of both civilian and military staff at the base. We have many exciting plans for catering and retail at Portsmouth.

“As part of our bid, we were able to demonstrate a new direction for core meal service within the existing core meal requirements and rates. This was reinforced by a clear strategy for delivering a new and dynamic Business and Industry-style retail offer on the site, moving away from a more typical defence approach, whilst embracing the ethos required in the Messes.”