Lunson Mitchenall has won the mandate for Azzurri Group Ltd – owner of ASK Italian and Zizzi – to assist in the next phase of its roll out. The leading niche retail and leisure agency will support Azzurri Group Ltd in the South East of England as it looks to secure 20 new UK outlets over the next year.
Zizzi continues to lead the casual dining market, and ASK’s repositioning and partnership with acclaimed chef Theo Randall has resonated strongly with the UK consumer. Both brands were purchased by leading European private equity firm Bridgepoint (under the company name Azzurri Group Ltd) in December 2014 for a combined total £250 million.
240 restaurants and growing
Following recent investment into its existing estate and new openings of Zizzi at Glasgow Silverburn and in Stratford upon Avon and Telford and ASK Italian at One Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester and in Maidstone and Swindon; combined both brands now operate over 240 restaurants in the UK.
Marc Ward, Group Head of Acquisitions at Azzurri Group Ltd, commented: “We see huge potential to grow both brands in the UK. With Lunson Mitchenall’s wide range of contacts within the landlord and developer community, it was the obvious choice to assist with the next phase of our expansion. Its leisure team is well respected within the industry and holds a stellar track record for delivering results on acquisition strategies for some of the most prominent names in the leisure sector.”
Growth in the casual dining market
Theo Fordham, Head of Catering and Leisure at Lunson Mitchenall, added: “There has been real growth in the casual-dining market as consumers have favoured price, convenience and quality over fast food and full service alternatives. Both ASK and Zizzi have emerged as market leaders and have built up a combined annual customer following of over six million. As consumer spending continues to rise this can only improve and we look forward to helping them to secure new outlets for both concepts over the coming months.”
Azzurri Group Ltd will join Lunson Mitchenall’s roster of market leading leisure occupiers that includes Comptoir Libanais, Barrio Bars, Drake & Morgan and YO! Sushi. The leisure team is also working on schemes such as Cabot Circus, Bristol, Ealing Film Works, The O2 and Kings Cross, and is retained to provide advice to prominent landlords including Canary Wharf Group.