Polpo co-founder Richard Beatty buys the group's last two remaining sites

Beatty, who founded Polpo with Russell Norman in 2009 with a restaurant on Soho’s Beak Street, has taken on the Beak Street site as well as the restaurant in Chelsea, on Duke of York Square.

Companies under the control of Beatty called The Polpo Chelsea Trading Company and The Polpo Soho Trading Company have been formed to allow the two restaurants to remain trading, resulting in 40 jobs being saved.

The move by Beatty means the continuation of the Polpo name in Soho, where the restaurant made its mark over a decade ago.

With its bare brick walls, low hanging lighting, casual front of house service, small plate menu, no reservation policy and Negronis, not only was the restaurant an instant hit with customers it was at the vanguard​​ of a new laid-back style of no-reservation, small plates restaurant that swept the capital in its wake.

In March 2019 Polpo entered into a company voluntary arrangement​​ (CVA) but then went into administration​​ the following year.