Loungers opens its 100th outlet and announces plans for 16 more
Neighbourhood café bar chain Loungers opened its 100th outlet this week and announced plans for a further 16 local hangouts to be launched this year.
The chain, founded in Bristol 16 years ago, has already established five new cafés so far this year as part of its £10m expansion strategy, and said the brand could increase to hundreds of venues.
Its latest, the Sorrento Lounge in Moseley, south Birmingham, joins seven other lounges in the Birmingham area, which the company said demonstrates the appeal and potential scale of the business.
Loungers CEO Nick Collins commented: "In many respects we don't approach the lounges as a 100-site business. Each lounge is individually named, designed and managed by teams who feel a sense of ownership and responsibility towards their lounge. The business has evolved on the strength of the people who work with us and how we have been received in the communities in which we have opened."
The lounge concept is based on an informal home-from-home, suburban high street café that offers all day dining, and a meeting point and melting pot for local residents.
"The business has evolved on the strength of the people who work with us and how we have been received in the communities in which we have opened," Collins added.
Loungers also operates a 21-strong network of restaurants under the Cosy Club brand, operating in larger units than its lounges and typically found in city centres and larger market towns.
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