Spudulike adds Fat Jackets

Spudulike's purchase of the 15-restaurant Fat Jackets group last week makes it the UK's largest freshly-baked potato chain.

The buyout of Courts Quality Foods, which operates Fat Jackets, adds the 15 to Spudulike's 30 branches, as well as a handful of Serious Sandwich Stores and FJ Cools ice-cream bars.

Chris and Susan Leighton, who founded Courts in 1988, will continue to run the Courts chains, which will not be re-named, over the next 12 months.

Spudulike chairman Tony Schlesinger said that the deal would provide more expansion opportunities. He intends to continue opening up to six restaurants a year.

Spudulike, created by Barbara and David Leggate in 1974, was bought by the British School of Motoring in 1982 before passing into the hands of the Schlesinger family in 1996.

It has changed from a largely franchised high-street operation of about 50 sites to a primarily company-owned chain sited in regional and city shopping centres in Britain and Ireland. The enlarged group has an annual turnover of more than £15m and pre-tax profits of more than £1m, the group said.

Last year's pre-tax profits and turnover were £590,000 and £7.3m for Spudulike, and £350,000 and £6m for Courts.