Loungers group opens 66th site as it ramps up expansion
Loungers bar and restaurant group has today opened its 66th site, Orpington's 120-cover Pato Lounge, as part of a wider expansion drive.
The 65th site, the 130-cover Unico Lounge, opened in Wilmslow earlier this month and is spread across two floors with a first floor roof terrace. Pato also has 40 covers outside at the front of the property.
Both sites had a total investment of £1.2m.
The company is set to open its 10th location under the Cosy Club brand: a £1m space in Manchester's Corn Exchange, and is expecting to open three more Lounge locations in September and another Cosy Club in Coventry. It is also planning openings in Amersham and Egham, and a Cosy Club in Bournemouth for 2016.
Nick Collins, Loungers managing director, said: "We're delighted to have opened another Lounge in the Manchester area and we expect to open a number of new sites in the North West in the coming months."
He added that there were many locations similar in style to Orpington from Loungers' perspective, and the company would be watching Pato's performance with interest as it moves ahead to open locations closer and closer to London.
Overall the company expects to reach 100 venues by end of 2016.
Founded in 2002 by friends Dave Reid, Alex Reilley and Jake Bishop, the first location opened in Bristol as a place the trio would "like to drink in themselves", and quickly expanded soon after.
In January it announced a like-for-like yearly sales increase of 11.8% with New Year's Day in December 2014 seeing a considerable 22.7% rise.
Loungers on target to hit 100 sites by 2017 >>
Loungers in 42.3% turnover rise >>
Nick Collins promoted to managing director of Loungers >>
Looking for a job? See all the current pub and bar vacancies available with The Caterer Jobs >>
Latest video from The Caterer