Think London

London delivers for SeamlessWeb

August, 2006—High-powered executives working late one night in New York, USA hatched an idea, based largely around the rumbles in their stomachs, but also for a business they thought might fill a bigger hole in wider city life.

The idea was to start up a unique company which could provide lawyers, bankers and other big firms with the means for their staff to order food online, to be delivered to the office in a cost-effective, controlled manner using those companies’ existing accounting systems. SeamlessWeb Professional Solutions was born.

The executives were attorneys Jason Finger and Paul Appelbaum, who between them set up SeamlessWeb in 1999. Today the US firm has the largest investment banks, over 85 of the AmLaw 100 law firms and hundreds of other businesses on its books. The SeamlessWeb service allows company employees to choose after-hours meals for delivery, safe in the knowledge that administration costs are cut, along with the time-consuming task of billing and reimbursement, not to mention expenses abuse. Companies, SeamlessWeb says, can save 30% in costs per year this way.

Having taken this business-to-business formula successfully to 11 cities across the US, SeamlessWeb launched in central London in 2006.

"Many of our current clients have offices in London", says Director of Marketing Campbell Foster. "It’s obviously an attractive market for law firms and financial services firms. Our current and best clients have offices here – global investment banks in Canary Wharf, hedge funds in the West End, and law firms in the City."

SeamlessWeb made the decision to come to London in August 2005, beginning by looking at the client base and asking if there was the market to serve a UK-based business. "We looked at the market as a whole and said: okay, it’s the right business, at the right time and London is the place to be."

Think London helped SeamlessWeb make excellent business connections and speed up the process of setting up business in London. "Think London has helped us network," said Foster. "They’ve been great in inviting us along to many superb networking events which they have held and in introducing us to other business membership organisations as well as public relations and advertising firms. They also helped us to navigate the process of setting up here, by introducing us to the relevant professional service experts."

Think London included SeamlessWeb on its guest list for events such as the launch of its unique ’London Focus’ report, which focused on the reasons why so many overseas-based professionals choose to come to work in London, in order to enhance their careers. Think London invited SeamlessWeb to the launch of its first overseas office, in New York, and also introduced them to other networking opportunities, including the HR Network at London First, where HR Managers at top London-based companies meet to examine topical issues in the HR arena.

"We attended a very successful Think London event in New York City in March 2006, where we had the chance to meet and speak with representatives from international consultancies and other major companies," said Foster. "And of course, they’ve put our London representative in touch with other businesses in London, which was extremely beneficial for us."

From its London office in Regent Street, central London, things are going well for SeamlessWeb. They are hiring new staff and having initially begun for food delivery from restaurants to businesses, it has now started running its online system for ordering items from other suppliers, such as florists, gift-basket providers and other such vendors.

The London expansion provides access to a huge customer base for the company and SeamlessWeb’s presence here means none of us need ever go hungry in the office again.

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