Restaurant openings boost performance

POSITIVE Christmas trading and the opening of new restaurants in Yorkshire helped the Individual Restaurant Company enjoy a healthy performance in December.

The Individual Restaurant Company opened two new Piccolino Italian restaurants in Yorkshire last year, in Sheffield and Ilkley.

Those launches, in addition to two others, took the number of outlets under the Piccolino umbrella to 18. In addition, the group launched two new operations under its Restaurant Bar & Grill format.

It now has 28 restaurants under the Restaurant Bar & Grill and Piccolino brands, including Restaurant Bar & Grill in Leeds.

IRC said sales in December, compared to the same month in 2006, were up 13%.

The Manchester-based group said trading for the six months to December 31 was in line with expectations, as was trading for the 14 months to the same date.

IRC's chief executive, Steven Walker, said although he was cautious about the future as consumers tightened their belts, IRC plans to open seven new restaurants this year.

The group's preliminary results will be announced on March 31.