New lounge is ‘landmark’ for restaurant chain
CAFE-BAR chain
Loungers has announced the opening of its 250th site in a move it describes as a “hugely satisfying landmark” for the business.
The Bristol-founded company, which operates the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside brands, opened the Pionero Lounge in Rochdale, on Monday.
Since Loungers announced its interim results in November, the group has opened new Lounges in Cramlington (Coltello Lounge); Penrith (Arturo Lounge); Paignton (Costero Lounge); Caerphilly (Consurio
Lounge) and Ashby-de-lazouch (Centivo Lounge).
Further openings are planned for the coming months including in Bromsgrove, Chepstow, Westwood Cross, Macclesfield, Bracknell, Ilkley, Sidcup and Yeovil.
The new sites will range from new developments to former banks, retail outlets and restaurants on the high street, Loungers told the stock market on Monday.
Alex Reilley, chairman and co-founder of Loungers, said: “The opening of our 250th site is a hugely satisfying landmark for a business that started in 2002 in Bristol with a single cafe-bar called The Lounge. A lot has changed since then but our commitment to providing our customers with excellent food and drink all day, while doing everything that we can to make a positive impact on the local community, has never wavered.”
Loungers says it is on track to open 34 Lounge sites in the current financial year - on top of the 36 Cosy Club and three Brightside outlets - and it will involve the creation of more than 1,000 new jobs.
“None of this would be possible without the extraordinary talent, hard work and dedication of our people, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their contribution to building the business that Loungers is today,” Mr Reilley added.
The restaurant chain says there is scope for at least 600 Lounges across the UK and that with each new Lounge site nearly £1m is invested into the local high street and an average of 30 new jobs are created. In 2023, the group created 1,000 new jobs and it expects to recruit the same number again in 2024.