Member Article

Restaurant chain expands across North West

Café/bar operator Loungers has confirmed it is launching its sixth site in the North West, having exchanged contracts on premises in Formby.

The new operation will trade as the Haro Lounge, and is due to open in November.

Already this year, the chain has opened sites at Aigburth in Liverpool and Didsbury, Greater Manchester, with another due to open next month in Heswall, Wirral.

The Formby site, among 12 the company is opening across the UK this year, will create around 30 jiobs, both full and part-time.

The firm specialises in selecting sites in residential areas, off the main thoroughfares.

Loungers managing director Alex Reilley said: “Clearly there are a lot of secondary high streets in the UK where we see ourselves potentially opening but it’s also very encouraging to see how well the Lounge model performs in mixed use schemes. And whilst not every scheme will be our cup of tea our success in the right kind of mixed used scheme has given us another growth avenue.”

Mr Reilley confirmed that the group was now expected to grow beyond the 70 sites by 2017 it had originally forecast.

He said: “Our forecast of having 70 sites by April 2017 was very much based on an initial slower rate of growth to that which we are currently enjoying and the business feels very able to cope with even more acceleration to the roll-out should we deem it appropriate.

“We currently have enough sites in the pipeline or in advanced negotiation to take us beyond 50 sites so finding the sites doesn’t present too significant a challenge. We therefore feel that 80+ by April 2017 is well within our reach.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .