REG - Comptoir Group PLC - Board Appointment

ComptoirAnnouncement

28/01/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 8376U  Comptoir Group PLC  28 January 2025

28 January 2025

 

Comptoir Group Plc

("Comptoir", the "Group" or the "Company")

 

Board Appointment of a new Chair

 

 

Further to the announcement on 14 January 2025, Comptoir Group Plc (AIM: COM),
the owner and operator of Lebanese, Middle Eastern and North African inspired
restaurants, is pleased to announce the formal appointment of Richard Kleiner
as Non-Executive Chair, with immediate effect.

 

Richard Kleiner brings a wealth of relevant experience and knowledge to the
Company, having previously served on the Board as Non-Executive Chair between
March 2014 and August 2022. Mr. Kleiner is a chartered accountant by
profession with many years' experience in corporate finance, public markets
and mergers and acquisitions. In addition to being the Chairman of Gerald
Edelman Chartered Accountants, Mr. Kleiner was also a Non-Executive Director
of Avanti Capital plc, which was an AIM-listed investment company. Mr. Kleiner
also has a number of other private company non-executive directorships. With
this background Mr. Kleiner has substantial experience in guiding companies
through their various phases of corporate development and growth.

The Company continues its search to identify a suitable independent
Non-Executive Director to join the Board, ideally with relevant hospitality
experience. Ali Aneizi will remain on the Board but with the appointment of
the new Chair, Richard Kleiner, Jean-Michel Orieux will step down from the
Board and his role as Chair with immediate effect.

In addition, further to the announcement on 14 January 2025, the formal
appointment of Chaker Hanna, as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, is
expected to be announced imminently upon his return from a period of overseas
travel in Asia.

 

Related Party Arrangements

The Company has engaged Gerald Edelman, Chartered Accountants, to provide
accounting and tax services to the Company, since before to its IPO in 2016.
Richard Kleiner has an interest in Gerald Edelman, as its current Chairman,
and has an interest in Richard Kleiner LLP, which is a partner of Gerald
Edelman. The Company will pay fees to Gerald Edelman, in respect of Richard
Kleiner's Non-Executive Director and Chair fees received from the Company
going forward. The Group, in the previous financial year to 31 December 2023,
paid an annual retainer for accounting and tax services totalling £33,000, to
Gerald Edelman. Gerald Edelman will be considered a related party to the
Company going forward.

 

Enquiries

 Comptoir Group plc                    0207 486 1111
 Nick Ayerst, CEO
 Richard Kleiner, Non-Executive Chair

 Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker)
             020 7220 0500
 Corporate Finance: Carl Holmes/Elysia Bough
 Corporate Broking: Charlie Combe

 

Further disclosures pursuant to Rule 17 and Schedule Two, paragraph (g) of the
AIM Rules for Companies:

Mr. Richard Howard Kleiner

The following information regarding the appointment of Mr. Richard Howard
Kleiner, aged 66, is disclosed under Schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for
Companies:

 Current Directorships/Partnerships          Past Directorships/Partnerships (within 5 years)
 Beth Shalom Limited                         Subscribbe Limited

 In the Room Global Ltd                      Behaviourall Technologies Limited

 Gerald Edelman Network Limited              CLXP LLP

 Gerald Edelman Wealth Limited               Diginius Limited

 Gerald Edelman (North West) LLP             Shrpaa Limited

 Shelley Sandzer Corporate Finance Limited   Gerald Edelman (Europe) LLP

 Mayfair Prime Properties Ltd                Cornhill Financial Services Limited

 Gerald Edelman Probate Services Limited     Odyssey Capital Partners LLP

 27 St Anselms Place (Freehold) Ltd          Avanti Capital plc

 The Nursery Window Limited                  Avanti Holdings plc

 Gerald Edelman (Cornhill) Limited           Odyssey Partners Limited

 Reko Properties Limited                     Comptoir Group plc

 Jess Properties Limited                     First Call Business Solutions Limited

 Martina Properties Limited                  Spianata & Company Limited

 Richard Kleiner LLP

 Riley Property Developments Limited

 Harley Street Nominees Limited

 Rayjon (North) Limited

 

Richard is presently a director of Riley Property Developments Limited. The
company has been in receivership since 21 January 2013. The latest receiver's
progress report dated 27 November 2014, indicates total payments of £511k, of
which £44k relates to claims made by secured creditors.

Richard was previously a director of Subscribbe Limited, resigning on 17
October 2023. After he had left employment, the company was subject to
compulsory strike off effective on 11 June 2024 and ultimately dissolved on 18
June 2024.

Richard was a non-executive director of Avanti Capital plc, when the company
entered into members' voluntary liquidation on 20 July 2018. The final
liquidators' report dated 4 September 2023 confirms that there were no secured
or preferential creditors. Claims made by unsecured creditors amounting to
£5k, were paid in full.  The company was dissolved on 25 July 2024.

Richard was a director of Avanti Holdings plc (a subsidiary to Avanti Capital
plc), when the company entered into members' voluntary liquidation on 25 July
2018. There were no secured, preferential or unsecured creditors identified in
the final liquidators' report dated 5 September 2019. The company was
dissolved on 17 December 2020.

Richard was a director of Odyssey Partners Limited, when the company entered
into members' voluntary liquidation on 10 March 2020. The final liquidators'
report dated 19 March 2022 details claims made by unsecured creditors
amounting to £2.8k. This was paid in full.  The company was dissolved on 6
May 2023.

Richard was a director of Cornhill Financial Services Limited, when the
company entered into members' voluntary liquidation on 11 December 2018. The
final liquidators' report dated 13 December 2019 details an unsecured creditor
amount payable to HMRC with respect to corporation tax liability of £479k
inclusive of interest. This was paid in full.  The company was dissolved on 8
January 2021.

Mr. Kleiner currently holds 610,000 Ordinary Shares, representing c.0.5% of
the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital.

Save for the information set out above, there are no further disclosures to be
made in accordance with Rule 17 and Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM
Rules for Companies in respect of the appointment of Richard Kleiner.

 

About Comptoir Group PLC

Comptoir Group PLC owns and operates 27 Lebanese, Middle East and North
African inspired restaurants, six of which are franchised, based predominately
in the UK. The flagship brand of the group, Comptoir Libanais, is a collection
of 22 restaurants located across London, nationwide and international Travel
Hubs, including cities such as Manchester, Bath, Birmingham, Oxford, Dubai and
Milan.

The name Comptoir Libanais means Lebanese Counter and is a place where guests
can eat casually and enjoy Lebanese, Middle Eastern and North African food,
served with warm and friendly hospitality and a bright vibrant environment.

The Group also operates Shawa, serving traditional shawarma through a counter
service model in Westfield and Bluewater shopping centres and Abu Dhabi and
Yalla-Yalla with a branch near Oxford Circus.

The group has expanded internationally with its franchise partners Avolta and
Areas, with restaurants in the Netherlands, Qatar and UAE and Italy.

 

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