First introduced for last year’s FEJ Awards, the Operator of the Year for Best Growth Initiative award recognises hospitality and catering operators who are behind the best and most innovative growth and expansion initiatives of the past year.
The accolade will reward fast-growing operators or smaller groups with ambitious growth plans for their business in the UK, recognising the strategies and efforts of those groups who are expanding and developing their operations at pace in the country.
We are delighted to announce that the 2024 shortlist includes the following operators:
Cornish Bakery
Independent bakery and café chain, Cornish Bakery, recently received a new finance package to support its ongoing UK expansion from its South West base. The brand, which was founded in 1994, serves coffee from supplier Union Hand Roasted Coffee, as well as a food menu of pasties, pastries and brunch dishes. The group has continued to open new stores over the past year and is using new funding from British bank, Virgin Money, to aid it with its goal to reach 100 sites across the country by the end of the year. Cornish Bakery offers an extensive menu of artisan-quality food, including its signature handmade Cornish pasties, which is a crucial pillar of its strategy to redefine the roll of a traditional bakery outlet and win market share within the coffee shop sector. In May this year, the chain hired its first ever managing director to oversee the continued expansion of its current portfolio of some 60 sites in the UK.
Knoops
Chocolate drinks café chain, Knoops, has been carrying out plans to more than double its estate this year, following a milestone £8.3m fundraising round at the end of 2023. The new funds include a £5.5m investment from the London-based retail and property group, Morleys Stores Limited. The brand had 18 stores across the UK at the time of writing and is continuing to expand at pace, having recently opened two locations in Edinburgh and one in Nottingham, with further launches planned in Leeds, Bristol and York. Knoops was founded by the company’s self-taught ‘master distiller’, Jens Knoop, in 2013 in Rye, East Sussex, creating a range of expertly-crafted chocolate drinks with sustainably sourced ingredients. Knoops executive chairman and CEO, William Gordon-Harris, who is a regular customer of the Rye branch, spotted the potential of the business and in 2019 began a major expansion of the brand with Mr Knoop.
Pizza Pilgrims
Pizzeria group, Pizza Pilgrims, has continued to expand in its London heartland, including at Euston Station where the bespoke design of the site pays homage to train travel through the golden era of the Amalfi Coast. Even more significantly, it has prepared the ground for a broader geographic push encompassing Wales and Scotland for the first time. It has demonstrated that sustainable growth remains an output of running a great business, rather than its sole focus. The group has officially secured B Corp certification, joining more than 1,500 businesses in the UK to achieve the accreditation. The company regards the accreditation as a strategic pillar that will influence the future direction. Packaging is one of the most complex problems facing the food industry and it has invested heavily in achieving the most sustainable packaging possible, including a free wool liner returns service. It continues to work tirelessly on new innovations to enhance the sustainability of its kitchen environment and expects to be in a place soon where every piece of its kit is kerbside recyclable.
Sticks’n’Sushi
Sticks’n’Sushi was provided with a £22m loan by digital bank, OakNorth, to support its future expansion earlier this year. The restaurant group specialises in sushi and yakitori, with almost 30 restaurants across Denmark, the UK, and Germany. The chain currently has 14 sites in the UK and was recently acquired by McWin Capital Partners, which focuses on the foodservice and food technology sectors. With the support of both firms, the group will hone in on its plans to continue expanding across the UK. As part of a separate growth initiative, Sticks’n’Sushi has also extended its partnership with food delivery company Deliveroo. Since their initial tie-up, it has launched five new outlets, including three delivery-only kitchens in London, using the tech firm’s data to identify strategic location and enhance delivery efficiency. Founded by brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek and Thor Andersen, the group opened its first restaurant in the UK in Wimbledon more than a decade ago and the country is now the group’s largest market in terms of turnover.
Wingstop UK
QSR brand, Wingstop UK, has been continuing its rapid expansion across the UK this year, with 2024 set to be its biggest year of expansion to date. Opening a raft of new restaurants over the past year, the chicken wing concept has been honing in on its growth plans in the capital in recent months, adding sites such as Croydon to its growing portfolio of London restaurants, including its flagship site on Shaftesbury Avenue, as well as Islington, Dalston, Gloucester Road, Kingston, Bromley, Beckton, Hounslow and Watford. Fast approaching 50 sites in the UK, Wingstop UK has grown at pace since launching in the country back in 2018. A milestone for the brand this summer was the opening of its largest restaurant to date at Westfield Stratford City, at a 5,000 square foot site hosting over 160 covers. Lemon Pepper Holdings Ltd is the UK master franchisee of the QSR chain.
The 2024 FEJ Awards ceremony and gala dinner takes place on 18 September at the Pan Pacific London.
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