News

6th February

Jamie Oliver to Launch First Union Jacks Outside London

Jamie Oliver and Chris Bianco have acquired a site in Winchester for the first Union Jacks restaurant outside London. Jamie Bianco Ltd., the company established to oversee the Union Jacks concept and expansion, has taken a twenty-five year lease on the High Street restaurant set to open in the summer of this year. The Hampshire site will be the third Union Jacks to open in a relatively short period of time: the concept was launched in November 2011 with a large site in the Renzo Piano-designed Central St. Giles development in London’s West End. Since then, another site on the Chiswick High Road has been secured, which is set to open on 26th March. This rapid expansion follows a particularly successful trading year for Oliver’s high-street restaurant chain Jamie’s Italian, and further expansion of this chain is set to take place in 2012 including plans for an outlet at Gatwick airport.

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18th January

Hawksmoor Spitalfields to add 60-cover bar

Steak restaurant Hawksmoor, voted Time Out magazine’s “Best New Restaurant 2011” is set to start work on a new 60-cover bar at its Spitalfields site next month. The bar is due to open late in February, and will feature interiors by regular Hawksmoor collaborators, interior architects Macauly Sinclair. It will have an exclusive drinks list running alongside the regular cocktail menu plus an entirely new bar menu. Currently in a testing stage, this new menu will include short-rib French dip, fried oyster roll, chilli cheese and Hawksmoor hot dogs alongside onion rings, chicken wings and fried oysters.

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9th January

La Tasca Buys Newbury Site from Paramount

Spanish casual dining chain La Tasca, another of our high-street clients, has expanded its estate for the first time in four years following its acquisition of the former Brasserie Gerard in Newbury, Berkshire. Paramount, the operator of Brasserie Gerard, was placed into administration in November, and have since sold sites to Spaghetti House, Prezzo, and Brasserie Blanc. Simon Wilkinson, chief executive of La Tasca Restaurants, said: “On the back of very strong December trading…we have taken the opportunity to begin our expansion programme ahead of schedule with the acquisition of the Brasserie Gerard in Newbury”. La Tasca Restaurants said it would aim to take on more sites throughout the year, while continuing to transform their existing estate into the new La Tasca, Spanish Tapas Bar and Kitchen concept.

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6th January

GBK Raises Money for Capital FM's Help a Child Campaign

Since 2009, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, or GBK, have raised £250,000 for Capital FM’s Help a Child campaign, a charity which aims to provide financial support for grass-root projects for London's less-advantaged children. From 16th January until the 26th February, GBK will be offering two of their burgers for £10, with 20p of each sale being donated to Help a Child. They are also giving one Capital FM listener the chance to win a trip to Hamburg, New York, in time for the Hamburger Festival, alongside £500 spending money. “GBK’s support of Help a Capital Child has been phenomenal over the last couple of years, said Rich Clarke, presenter on Capital FM. “We are all confident that this latest partnership will be the most successful yet.

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21st December

Tortilla Gets £3.5m Backing to Expand

Mexican casual dining chain Tortilla are one of our newest customers, and have recently raised £3.5m from private-equity investors Quivlest in order to continue their rapid expansion after plans to open its eighth London site were revealed. Quilvest has previously been associated with firms such as Yo! Sushi, and consequently Tortilla are predicting substantial growth over the next five years. As part of the deal, Quilvest partner Axelle Strain will join the board of directors, while former chief executive of Clapham House Paul Campbell is a non-executive director.

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