Carluccio's sees ‘satisfactory' Christmas trading

Italian restaurant chain Carluccio's saw "satisfactory" Christmas trading but warned that the pressure on consumer spend was increasingly evident during the period.

In a trading update ahead of its Annual General Meeting today, Carluccio's said turnover in the 17 weeks ended 25 January 2009 had increased 14% year-on-year.

The publicly-listed company, which currently has 41 restaurants, does not publish like-for-like growth figures.

Carluccio's reiterated that it would push ahead with its openings target of five new sites in its current financial year (three of which are already open) after successful launches in Leicester, Bristol and Earlsfield, south-west London.

And despite the increasingly tough trading conditions on the UK high street, Carluccio's said its all-day trading model and average spend of £12 would see the chain benefit during tough times.

Landmark, the company's Middle Eastern franchisee, is set to open the first Carluccio's in Dubai this spring.

Carluccio's holds nerve ahead of critical Christmas trading period >>

Carluccio interview leaves chef and restaurant group displeased >>

Antonio Carluccio: it's my name not my food - For more hospitality stories, see what the weekend papers say >>
Carluccio's face £21,000 bill over packaging rules breach >>
Carluccio's plotting Middle East expansion >>

By Chris Druce

E-mail your comments to Chris Druce here.

Caterersearch.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next restaurant job here with Caterersearch.com jobs