Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed to advise restaurant chain Bella Italia on its UK expansion to open up to 100 new restaurants in the next five years.
Owned by Tragus Group, Bella Italia has built up a portfolio of 90 restaurants throughout the UK, in high streets, retail and leisure parks. A restructuring earlier this year saw Tragus sold by previous owners Blackstone, to Apollo Global Management, significantly reducing its debt burden and enabling £100m worth of funding to be secured for Bella Italia to continue its major refurbishment and acquisition programme.
Cushman & Wakefield will assist Bella Italia in acquiring 20 new restaurants a year in town centres and retail and leisure schemes throughout the UK.
As well as new locations, existing venues will also take on a revitalised interior, a broader menu and a breakfast offer to ensure that Bella Italia is repositioned as the UK’s premier all-day Italian family restaurant brand.
Accelerated growth strategy
Thomas Rose, Partner, Head of Leisure and Restaurants at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Bella Italia is extremely well positioned to execute an accelerated growth strategy. The refurbished and new build restaurants have certainly reinvigorated the brand and in the eyes of the public, who have responded positively. Bella Italia has a very broad appeal and we are pleased to be able to help bring the new-look format to popular retail and leisure schemes throughout the UK.”
Nick White, Managing Director at Bella Italia, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Cushman & Wakefield on this next phase of expansion for Bella Italia. It’s an exciting time for the brand as we open new sites and refurbish the core estate. Bella has a very broad appeal delivers a quality, value for money and authentic Italian experience and we’re looking forward to entering the next stage of growth with the support of Cushman & Wakefield.”
Redleaf Ltd, led by Paul Bishton who has been instrumental in building a pipeline of new sites, will continue to support Bella Italia’s aggressive expansion plans.