Royal Holloway University of London and Royal Holloway Students’ Union – Commercial Services Review.

Brief:

Along with the majority of other Universities and Students’ Unions, commercial services and catering across Royal Holloway University and the Students’ Union had been seriously impacted by Covid and had yet to regain pre-pandemic levels of activity and income. The impact of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the increase of commuting students to c. 38% of the whole student community were also taking their toll.

Given the financial pressures facing Royal Holloway and the Higher Education sector as a whole, both the University and Students’ Union wanted to think differently and creatively about their commercial model and breadth of services for the future. Their desire was to implement a model that created a vibrant campus, increased footfall and protected the student experience whilst balancing the financial collective resources.

Both the Royal Holloway Commercial Services and Students’ Union teams were very keen to conduct an open and transparent review of their respective commercial services, which would enable strategic decisions as to how spaces and services could be developed to improve levels of engagement and the overall Royal Holloway student and staff experience, in combination with supporting the financial objectives of the University and Students’ Union.

This project was completed in partnership with Jan Sowa from Greenhouse.

Results:

“Royal Holloway University of London and its Student Union jointly commissioned Nina and Co and Greenhouse, following declining commercial revenues and a need to reflect on our services following Covid and a change in our student demographic.

Nina and Jan were responsive to all stakeholders, working with us to ensure our student research and staff feedback was representative. The comprehensive report identified a range of actions and longer-term goals, that are enabling respective teams to make positive changes to services, whilst also enabling more strategic conversations related to collaborative projects that will benefit all Royal Holloway students.”

Tony Logan, CEO Royal Holloway Students’ Union