Carluccio’s plans expansion after Dublin success
Carluccio’s opened its first outlet in Dublin in March this year and yesterday said as a result of the success of the store it is now in a position to consider extending to other territories.
It said it has been very encouraged by early trading with turnover at the top end of expectations.
Plans for outlets in Cork and Belfast are being considered and the company is also looking at opening three further outlets in Dublin, including shopping centres, such as Dundrum.
Carluccio’s managing director Simon Kossoff said the company is very pleased with how things are going in Ireland.
“The store has only been open a few weeks but trading has been very positive and volumes are good,” he said.
Mr Kossoff said it was too early to give any turnover figures for Ireland but said there should be a second outlet open here in the next 12 months.
The Carluccio’s all-Ireland franchise was purchased by a group of investors which includes businessman Ron Bolger, chairman of theLarry Goodman-owned Irish Food Processors.
Mr Bolger is leading the new company, Carluccio’s Ireland.
Peter Murray, a former chairman of Anglo-Irish Bank, and Mike Fitzgerald, who was at one stage involved in the running of The Commons restaurant, are also believed to be involved.
“This is the first franchise for us and the first operation opened by our partners, ” said Mr Kossoff. “We are there to support them and we helped them by sending over our support team.”
On a group level Carluccio’s said yesterday that first-half profit rose 28%, boosted by the opening of four new outlets.
“Carluccio’s will lead the next upswing in eating out and could become iconic,” Paul Hickman, an analyst at KBC Peel Hunt Ltd, said in a note to investors.
