Restaurant trade in North West has become about survival of the fittest

Survival of the fittest is how James Hitchen describes the state of the hospitality trade in Manchester.

The 35-year-old should know more than most what it takes to build a successful business in what has become an increasingly competitive sector.

James is the man behind East Coast Concepts – which is behind two of the most exciting brands in the restaurant and bar trade.

Neighbourhood is inspired by New York’s dining district and operates in three city centre locations and Victors, an elegant Hamptons-inspired dining concept, which is geared towards suburban locations and currently has three venues.

Neighbourhood in Leeds

James comes from the Hitchens Food dynasty and his father and grandfather were successful businessmen.

But James has never been one to do things the easy way and he learnt his trade with the Aldi supermarket chain.

Rather than taking the easy route he went into supermarket management and learnt the business from the bottom up.

He said: “I just wanted to get as much experience as I could. At the time Aldi were going full throttle and I wanted to learn how to run a business. I wanted to learn about stock control and dealing with staff.

“It was an incredible place to work and I learned an enormous amount.”

“I come from a family of high achievers and there was a lot of expectation placed on me. I felt the need to go out and be a success on my own terms.”

After spending time with Aldi James decided it was time to go into business for himself and he launched two barbecue venues in Manchester.

Once again it was a steep learning curve which ended in James having to close the business down.

But James was determined to learn from his mistakes and he launched East Coast Concepts in 2012.

James is a bundle of energy and is constantly keeping an eye on what is going on in his restaurants.

He has a very clear idea of what he is trying to achieve in both Victors and the Neighbourhood bars and he expects his team to be on board.

Nothing is left to chance and the venues are as much about the ambience and the décor as the food that comes out of the kitchens.

Victors

There have been plenty of high profile casualties in recent years and James is determined that his restaurants will stand out in a crowded market place.

He said: “It really is all about the survival of the fittest and that is why you have to be incredibly focussed.

“You need a great concept, a great team and the right structure in place to make sure that you can deliver.”

East Coast Concepts now employs 335 staff across six sites at its head office and the company has a projected revenue of £16.4m for the coming year.

Even more importantly investor NorthEdge has agreed to back the business and supports it plans to roll out across the country and beyond.

East Coast Concepts has already considerably expanded its reach since the launch of its flagship outlet in Manchester’s Spinningfields in 2012, rolling out the Neighbourhood and Victors brands across the UK.

The group opened up the doors of its Neighbourhood brand in Liverpool and Leeds, following on from the successful initial launch in Manchester.

The Liverpool site has also achieved great success, achieving a revenue of £5m after just two years in the city.

Victors, too, has widened its reach, building its market share in Cheshire with the November launch of its Alderley Edge site, as well as moving into the south with a location in Oxford.

James said he was not looking for investment but NorthEdge came calling.

He added: “It is one of the things I am proudest about.

“It is almost unheard of for someone like NorthEdge to invest in a small business like ours. It is incredible that they have shown so much faith in what we are doing.

“They understand what we are doing and are backing us all the way, not just in terms of investment but also when it comes to support and advice.

“The ambition for us  is to open about two to three restaurants a year.”