Restaurant chain Filmore & Union hungry for growth

Leeds-headquartered restaurant and deli chain Filmore & Union has secured a £3.5m investment to accelerate its site roll-out plans.

Filmore & Union, which operates 14 sites and recently opened a concession in John Lewis, will use the Business Growth Fund (BGF) funding to expand its portfolio across the North of England and the Midlands.

Created in 2012 by Adele Ashley, the business serves a menu of fresh and seasonal food and drinks using local produce to create breakfasts and lunches, as well as gluten-free cakes.

The business was voted one the Sunday Times’ Top Three UK health eateries in 2016.

Starting from a single site in York, Filmore & Union now runs restaurants across Yorkshire including Ilkley, Harrogate, Beverley, Skipton and Wetherby, as well as food to go delis in Newcastle and York train stations.

The business successfully raised £865,000 on Crowdcube in 2015 and today generates revenues of more than £6m.

In addition to the investment, Kevin Bacon will join the company as non-executive chair, following an introduction by BGF.

Bacon is a former MD of Frankie & Benny’s and Jamie’s Italian and has knowledge of the North-West region, the next area of focus for the roll-out.

Filmore & Union joins a growing number of regional and national restaurant brands backed by BGF including Bar Soba, which has opened a site in Leeds, Barburrito and Giggling Squid.

The investment into Filmore & Union was led by BGF’s Chris Boyes and Mike Clarke, who are based in Leeds.

Adele Ashley said: “We believe there is a very clear market opportunity to expand the Filmore & Union portfolio. We have built a loyal customer base who feel an affinity to the brand and share our passion for eating well. We have built the business in Yorkshire and the North East and are excited to expand the brand across the North of England”.

““We are delighted to be partnering with BGF. We had a number of other options, however BGF’s long-term approach as well as its broader network, was very attractive and the investment will help us accelerate our growth plans.”

Boyes added: “Adele has created a popular restaurant concept which caters to the growing market for customers who are focused on eating well. The team has established a good foundation to continue the rollout across the UK, and we are excited to support the next stage of growth.”

Management were advised by Paul Land and Andy Kerr of TLP Capital Partners, with legal advice from Dahren Naidoo of Freeths. John Hamer and Thomas Mieszkowski of Walker Morris provided legal advice to BGF.

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