Boparan Restaurant Group makes changes at the top
It follows a series of major acquisitions by the group in 2016, which included buying the beleaguered Ed’s chain out of administration.
In the next few weeks Nick Smith will take up the newly-created role of commercial director, leaving his position as director of purchasing at The Restaurant Group after more than a decade.
Simon D’Cruz, formerly of Domino’s Pizza Group, will become finance director while Sam Wignell, current brand director at Ed’s Easy Diner will expand his role to include Giraffe World Kitchen.
BRG says the appointments come ahead of the ‘next growth phase’ for the business.
In 2016 the company bought The Cinnamon Collection, which is still run by chef Vivek Singh, and invested £10m in its expansion.
It acquired the Giraffe restaurant group, which includes the Burgers & Cocktails and Wondertree brands, from Tesco in June last year.
BRG also bought Ed’s out of administration in a reported cut-price deal of £8.75m in late-2016, with the closure of 26 of its 59 restaurants.
“Now that we are moving into the next growth phase for BRG, we are delighted to welcome Simon and Nick to the Group and congratulate Sam on his expanded role,” says Tom Crowley, CEO of BRG.
“They each enjoy first class track records of success in their respective areas of expertise, and this will be invaluable as we pursue our ambitious growth plans for the business, as a whole.”
