Salad days at chain as revenues hit €2.7m

COMBINED profits last year at four of Brian Lee’s Freshly Chopped outlets and the business’s marketing arm soared to €493,373.

That is according to new accounts for Mr Lee’s Freshly Chopped Ltd which cover the performance last year of the Baggot Street, Ballsbridge, Fairview and Swords outlets along with the business’s marketing arm. The accounts show that revenues at the four outlets and marketing arm hit €2.7m.

Earlier this year on ‘The Late Late Show’, Mr Lee appeared to talk about the rapidly expanding business which now has 24 stores across the country and sells over 20,000 salads a week.

The firm’s growth has been mainly confined to the capital and Freshly Chopped outlet today can also be found at Dublin Airport, Dundrum, Foothill Retail Park, Galway, Grafton Street, Ilac Centre, Long Mile Rd, M3 Mulhuddart Service stop, Newbridge, O’Connell Street, Park West, Rathmines, Sandyford, St Stephen’s Green, Talbot Street, Blanchardstown Tallaght, UCD, Westmoreland Street and Co Antrim

Mr Lee co-owns Freshly Chopped Ltd with Andy Chen and the accounts show that the best performing store amongst the four last year was its Fairview outlet that clocked up revenues of €1.12m for the year.

The net profit at the outlet for the 12 months was €204,821. Revenues at the firm’s Baggot Street store totalled €842,203 where it recorded profits of €228,712, while the Ballsbridge outlet recorded sales of €314,903 and net profits was €61,518.

The firm’s wage bill for last year was €725,424 and total number of staff employed stood at 42.