The annual index, produced in association with our sister title, M&C Report, charts the profit growth of the most successful privately-owned operators working in the eating and drinking-out market.
Led by Andrew Guy, Ed’s topped the list with an compound annual growth rate of 127 per cent, beating steak chain Hawksmoor (106 per cent) and Bill’s Restaurants (85 per cent) to top spot.
“We are delighted to have recorded the fastest growth in the sector and won this coveted award,” said Ed’s Easy Diner’s chairman Stephen Greene.
“It is testament to all the talented people at Ed’s that we have been able to achieve this. We have firm operational and financial foundations from which to build from here and an ambitious plan for the business – 2014 will be another exciting year too.”
Ed's growth
Having recently opened the 24th site under its core American diner brand, Ed’s also operates four sites under it’s ‘Shakes ‘N Dogs’ format, along with an ‘Ed’s Outside’ in Milton Keynes, a Shake Stand in Birmingham’s Bullring, and one international site in South Africa.
According to M&C Report, the brand has plans to continue growing its estate; to 100 restaurants by 2018.
Private equity
New entries in this year’s top 10 companies listed in the Zolfo Cooper Profit Tracker included Tortilla and Le Bistrot Pierre. They were joined by the likes of Leon, Wasabi, Pho, Itsu and last year’s winner, BrewDog.
Paul Hemming, lead leisure partner at Zolfo Cooper Advisory, said: “What does the 2014 Profit Tracker tell us about our sector? For me, it graphically illustrates what a significant force private equity continues to be in this market, providing the capital (and in many cases some wisdom and rollout nous) to enable management teams to drive material growth; 11 of the top 20 businesses have private equity investment.
”Private equity’s interest is heightened by the characteristics inherent in the sector’s stand-out concepts: there are few other industries that can offer the same returns and scale opportunities when a clearly differentiated operating format with attractive operating margins combines with a grade-A management team.”
To view the top 50 in full and for more detail on each of the companies in the 2014 Zolfo Cooper Profit Tracker, download the report via M&C Report. To subscribe to M&C Report, contact Emily Croft on 01293 846578 or email emily.croft@wrbm.com.