Akbar’s expansion heats up with restaurant launch

ONE of the country’s leading Indian restaurant groups is now currying favour with Sheffield diners after opening a 180-cover outlet in the city centre.

Bradford-based Akbar’s is operating at the 6,000 sq ft, two storey site of the former Antibo Italian restaurant in the West One development at The Plaza on Fitzwilliam Street.

The group was advised on the deal by Simon Mydlowski, a partner in the commercial property team of Yorkshire law firm Gordons.

Akbar’s managing director Shabir Hussain said: “We acquired the site after the resounding success of our branch six miles away in Meadowbank Road, Rotherham, expanding to Sheffield in order to accommodate inner city workers and residents.”

Mr Hussain said Akbar’s had been searching for a city centre site for the last year.

Founded in 1995 by Mr Hussain, the group now has 13 sites, including restaurants in Bradford, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and York, in addition to its South Yorkshire outlets.

Akbar’s intends that the Sheffield site’s launch will be followed by a string of other new restaurants, down the M1 to London.

Mr Mydlowski said: “Akbar’s have been an important client of ours for many years and we continue to value our association with them very highly. Groups like Shabir’s, who get their offerings right and work extremely hard to deliver them, will always deserve to prosper, so it’s brilliant to see the organisation now expanding again.”