Chez Gérard plans six new openings outside the capital

Groupe Chez Gérard is stepping up expansion outside London with six new restaurants - in Nottingham, Bath, Leeds, Edinburgh and Brighton. These will help bring the group's total outside the capital to 12 by Christmas.

Its two main chains are Chez Gérard, best known for steak and chips, and the fish specialist, Livebait.

The group's first restaurant outside London, a Livebait, opened in Manchester in October, followed by a Chez Gérard in November, also in Manchester. Both were trading ahead of expectations, the group said. A Chez Gérard in Bristol opened last month.

The group has already announced plans to open Chez Gérards in Nottingham and Oxford, a Livebait in Cambridge, and one of each in Birmingham.

Planned openings confirmed today were: Chez Gérards in Bath and Brighton and Livebaits in Nottingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and Brighton. The two Brighton restaurants are not scheduled to open until early 2002.

The announcements came as Groupe Chez Gérard unveiled a 17.2% increase in turnover on continuing operations to £19m for the six months to 24 December 2000, up from £16.2m in the same period of 1999.

Pre-tax profit was up by 3.9% to £2.1m, from £2m in 1999.

The results do not include the company's four Richoux restaurants, sold in August to Madisons Coffee for £2.7m.

Like-for-like sales in Chez Gérard and Livebait restaurants were up by 2.5%, but the five Signature restaurants in London - including Scotts, Café Fish, Brasserie St Quentin and Soho Soho - saw a slight fall. This was despite increases at the two Bertorelli's sites.

Despite the drop in sales at the Signature restaurants, chief executive David Williams said they remained part of the group's plans and several would be refurbished in the near future. Soho Soho is to get a major overhaul.

by David Shrimpton