Wagamama plans “aggressive” expansion to 300 UK restaurants

23-May-2011 - Last updated on 24-May-2011 at 09:41 GMT

Wagamama opened its latest restaurant in Horsham earlier this month

Wagamama has announced plans to ramp up its expansion within the UK to 300 sites at a rate of 20 per year, focusing mainly on London and the South East.

Following its takeover by Duke Street Capital in March for around £215m, the group has now instructed leisure property specialist Cushman & Wakefield to locate a variety of sites.

While its focus will remain in London and the South East, with its most recent opening situated in Horsham, West Sussex, Wagamama will continue its expansion nationwide.

Chris Warren of Cushman & Wakefield said: “Wagamama has been remarkably successful when rolled out into different types of sites in a variety of regions. The fast casual sector has seen genuine growth in the last 18 months and we are excited to help Wagamama grow in the coming years.”

Under its new aggressive expansion plans, Wagamama, which currently operates 71 restaurants in the UK, will reach its target of 300 sites by 2022.

Aggressive roll out

Although previous owner Lion Capital, which bought the company for around £100m in 2005, claimed it had helped meet the chain’s expansion potential, Wagamama believes its most recent takeover will help push the brand out further.

“Having been acquired by Duke Street Capital we are now able to put in place a far more aggressive expansion plan,” Sharon Cawthorne, property director of Wagamama, said. “We are delighted to have brought Cushman & Wakefield on board to help us to secure the best locations for our new openings.”

Wagamama also operates three sites in the US and a franchise operation with 36 restaurants in 16 countries around the world.