BBC's the Apprentice to feature Wandsworth's Grand Union bar
The Grand Union bar in London's Wandsworth is to be the backdrop for tonight's (Wednesday) BBC airing of The Apprentice.
Group founder and chief executive Adam Marshall will also appear in the episode, which will feature the bar's new Pleasure Garden area. Marshall is set to oversee and comment on one of the show's teams, Team Versatile, as it attempts to run a birthday event challenge within the bar.
Founded in 2006 by Marshall, and backed by entrepreneur Luke Johnson, the Grand Union group announced it had plans to expand rapidly, after its revenue results reached £7m for the year ending 28 March 2015, alongside EBITDA of £1.3m. The Pleasure Garden space alone was said to have helped sales increase by 51% in the first nine weeks of the financial year.
The announcement of further expansion plans came a year after the group revealed its intention to expand by 20 more sites by 2017, focusing on venues between 4,000 sq ft and 10,000 sq ft, with high footfall and density.
A range of central London locations were under consideration alongside nationwide towns and cities including Brighton, Cambridge, Bath, Cardiff, Oxford, Canterbury, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Guildford and Leeds.
The BBC series The Apprentice, starring Lord Alan Sugar, football executive Baroness Karren Brady, and business advisor Claude Littner, is currently broadcasting its 11th series, with tonight's episode set to air on BBC One at 9pm.
Grand Union announces plans for 20 new sites >>
Grand Union targets expansion after revenue reaches £7m >>
