Mowgli's Nisha Katona sets out adjusted expansion strategy
In an Instagram post, founder Nisha Katona has confirmed that Mowgli's planned opening in Preston would no longer be going ahead; and says she is 'considering her position' regarding the opening of a site Edinburgh, which was set to be the group's first Scottish location when it was announced back in February.
"To be an entrepreneur is to be an optimist and my pitifully blithe entrepreneurial nerves have not faltered so far," writes Katona.
"What is truly exciting is the rebalanced nature of the new world into which we emerge. We, as businesses, have had to accept the traumas becoming leaner, more grateful for every customer that chooses us; and we must be pickier about what leaches out of our precious coffers."
Katona, a former barrister, launched Mowgli in Liverpool in 2014.
It currently operates 10 restaurants across the country in cities including Manchester, Cardiff and Birmingham.
Two further sites, in Leeds and Bristol, had been set to open in the first half of this year. Leeds will now launch on 8 July, while Bristol will hopefully open towards the end of the year.
In terms of further expansion, Katona says she is 'looking afresh' at the cities to which she intends to take Mowgli; and look for 'collaborative and circumspect' landlords who 'realise that to lose a tenant is to lose the nose of one's face'.
"At a time when many features of the high street seem to be disappearing for good, the aim of Mowgli’s existence is to enrich lives in the cities that we go to," she continues.
"I am in earnest, looking at Glasgow, Brighton, Cheltenham, Newcastle, Chester, Cambridge and York.
"Note that London does not yet feature, which breaks my heart. But if my guiding star is to enrich the lives of the people around us, then taking on a swaggering, cuckoo-sized London rent will starve other fledgeling [restataurants]."
Mowgli has been on the expansion trail since securing a £3.45m backing from private equity company Foresight Group in 2017.
