East Coast Concepts dines out on Christmas sales uplift
A record Christmas trading period has boosted sales at Manchester-based restaurant and bar group East Coast Concepts, which runs vibrant dining concepts Neighbourhood and Victor’s.
Like-for-like sales for the group were up 10% in the six weeks ending January 7, while overall sales increased 48% over the period.
Revenues for the group in the year to December 2017 reached £10m – up from £6.3m the previous year. The latest figures put the group in a solid position to capitalise on further growth over the next 12 months, it said.
East Coast Concepts was established by entrepreneur James Hitchen, who took inspiration from New York’s dining district.
Hitchen launched the group’s flagship Neighbourhood in Manchester’s Spinningfields in 2012 and has since added additional sites in Liverpool and Leeds.
The company also runs Victor’s, an elegant and contemporary Hamptons-inspired dining concept, which launched in Hale, Greater Manchester in 2014 and has a second site opening in May 2018 in Oxford.
East Coast Concepts, which employs more than 300 staff across four sites, was backed by NorthEdge Capital in June 2016 to support its roll-out across the UK.
The private equity firm has provided additional funding to accelerate the expansion plans in 2018 as the Group actively looks for new locations for both brands.
East Coast Concepts has also continued to invest in its management team with the appointment of Nicky Sellers as operations director.
She joins the growing team which also includes former Individual Restaurants finance director John Hammond and Harvey Smyth (chairman), who is also chairman of the Azzurri Group.
Hitchen said: “It is testament to both the strength of our proposition and the hard work of our people that the whole Group has traded so well through the competitive Christmas period. In Neighbourhood and Victor’s, we have two unique concepts which have continued to focus on innovation and delivering the best possible experience to our customers.
“We have a world class team that is incredibly creative and we have a number of exciting developments planned for 2018 as we look to develop East Coast Concepts into a truly national brand.”
