Bird appoints Andrew Clover to drive growth

The group - which currently has five London locations and a number of dark kitchens outside the capital - believes it could break the 100 site mark over the next five years through franchise and commercial partnerships in the UK and overseas. 

Bird expects to launch dark kitchens in Cambridge, Leeds, Battersea, Waterloo and Shoreditch early next year with more openings planned throughout 2021. 

Clover says Bird’s organic growth strategy will also include bricks and mortar and that he is currently looking for locations in south west London. 

“Bird has all the right ingredients for significant growth and so I feel privileged to take the helm at such a crucial time,” he says. “My immediate focus has been to get under the skin of the entire brand experience and to revisit operational procedures to set our teams up to win – creating a plug-and-play ready brand.”

Clover started out working for major casual dining including TGI Fridays and Loch Fyne but more recent roles have included UK General Manager HMS Host UK and Interim Head of Retail at London Stansted Airport, experience he believes makes him well-placed to deliver growth through management contracts, franchises and other partnerships.   

“Running parallel to our organic growth strategy is our vision to massively expand our locations. This is a challenging part of the strategy where I bring a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record for delivering sustainable portfolio growth.”

Bird was launched in Shoreditch in 2015 by husband and wife duo Paul Hemings and Cara Ceppetelli.​​

The Crown Partnership took a majority stake in the business following a pre-pack administration last summer. 

The founders are no longer with the business.