REG - Loungers PLC - Launch of roadside restaurant brand, Brightside

LoungersAnnouncement

07/11/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 4509F  Loungers PLC  07 November 2022

7 November 2022

 

Loungers plc

("Loungers" or the "Group")

 

 

Loungers launches Brightside - a new restaurant rollout aimed at
reinvigorating roadside dining in the UK

 

Brightside to sit alongside Loungers' existing brands - Lounge and Cosy Club

 

First restaurant to open on the A38, south of Exeter, in February 2023, with
two additional locations to follow quickly in the spring

Loungers, a leading nationwide operator of all day café-bars and restaurants
under the Lounge and Cosy Club brands, is pleased to announce the launch of a
new roadside restaurant brand, Brightside.

The Group sees great potential to reinvigorate roadside dining in the UK, a
sector that it believes has become tired and uninspiring. Loungers has
acquired three sites initially, the first of which is set to open on the A38,
south of Exeter, in February 2023. Further sites will open on the A303 near
Honiton, and on the A38 near Saltash, in the spring.

 

Loungers believes there is scope to develop a truly national brand and has
ambitious plans to roll out Brightside to all corners of the UK in the coming
years. It is envisaged that sites will be situated predominantly on A-roads,
and will focus on bringing genuine hospitality back to a sector that has been
dominated by drive-thru and QSR (quick service restaurant) concepts in recent
years.

 

Brightside will offer a freshly cooked menu full of classic, comfort
food-style dishes - including an extensive brunch menu, burgers, pizzas, and
kids' menu - in nostalgic surroundings. The roadside restaurants will appeal
to a broad range of customers including families, locals, and UK
holidaymakers.

 

Brightside will share the same core DNA of the Lounge and Cosy Club brands - a
focus on all-day dining to appeal to a broad audience, a fierce commitment to
value for money, and run by teams that deliver exceptional service. Brightside
roadside restaurants will be friendly, warm and wholesome and will endeavour
to bring back the pleasure of heading out and exploring.

 

Commenting, Alex Reilley, Founder Chairman of Loungers, said:

 

"We've had the itch for a while now to create a roadside restaurant concept
that's fit-for-purpose in the twenty-first century. For many people, the
highlight of childhood road trips in days gone by was a stop at the likes of
Little Chef. We believe there is a gap in the market for a fresh concept that
gives customers the option to take a proper break and enjoy wholesome food and
great hospitality, in a landscape that is currently dominated by drive-thru
and QSR formats.

"Brightside will have a contemporary, welcoming, and warm feel, whilst also
evoking nostalgia for a time when motoring in the UK was a more exciting
experience. We want it to be an integral part of our customers'
journey-planning, and something both adults and children alike look forward
to. We believe that Brightside will really shake up what has become an
uninspiring sector and that there is potential to roll out Brightside across
the UK in the coming years. Our expertise in high-quality, great value all-day
dining, developed through Lounge and Cosy Club, gives us confidence that
Brightside can bring proper hospitality back to roadside dining across the
UK."

Loungers currently operates 175 Lounges and 35 Cosy Club venues around the UK.
The Group recently announced it was accelerating its site roll-out programme,
targeting 30 new openings in the current financial year and between 32 and 34
on an ongoing basis. These initial three Brightside openings fall within these
forecast new site opening numbers. Loungers recently opened its 210(th) site -
Barco Lounge in Selby - on Saturday 5 November.

 

For further information please contact:

 Loungers plc                                               Via Powerscourt

 Nick Collins, Chief Executive Officer

 Gregor Grant, Chief Financial Officer

 Neil Whitehead (Consumer & Trade Public Relations)         neilwh@loungers.co (mailto:neilwh@loungers.co)

 Houlihan Lokey UK Limited (Financial Adviser and NOMAD)    Tel: +44 (0) 20 7484 4040

 Sam Fuller / Tim Richardson

 Liberum Capital Limited (Joint Broker)                     Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000

 Andrew Godber / John Fishley

 Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker)                               Tel:  +44 (0)20 7418 8900

 Dan Webster / George Sellar

 Powerscourt (Financial Public Relations)                   Tel: +44 (0) 207 250 1446

 Rob Greening / Nick Hayns / Elizabeth Kittle

 

Website: brightside.co.uk

Instagram: @brightsideroadside

Facebook: /brightsideroadside

 

 

Notes to Editors

 

Loungers operates through its two complementary brands - Lounge and Cosy Club
- in the UK hospitality sector. A Lounge is a neighbourhood café/bar
combining elements of coffee shop culture, the British pub and dining. There
are 175 Lounges nationwide. Lounges are principally located in secondary
suburban high streets and small town centres. The sites are characterised by
informal, unique interiors with an emphasis on a warm, comfortable atmosphere,
often described as a "home-from-home". Cosy Clubs are more formal
bars/restaurants offering reservations and table service but share many
similarities with the Lounges in terms of their broad, all-day offering and
their focus on hospitality and culture. Cosy Clubs are typically located in
city centres and large market towns. Interiors tend to be larger and more
theatrical than for a Lounge, and heritage buildings or first-floor spaces are
often employed to create a sense of occasion. There are 35 Cosy Clubs
nationwide.

 

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