German café operation Backwerk, which operates 300 sites across Europe, has made its UK debut under the name Bake & Take, with plans to open 10 sites over the next year and 100 within the UK by the end of 2018.
Robin Page and Steve Mahon, the master franchisees behind Bake & Take, opened their first site in Piccadilly Approach, Manchester. Two more sites are set to open in the Ashton-under-Lyne and Bury, while a fourth site is under negotiation.
Page and Mahon, who previously held roles at Argos, Littlewoods and Wine Cellar, are projecting turnover of £2m in the first year.
Page said: “We have spent the last 10 months putting the infrastructure in place and following a significant investment of more than £1m, we are now ready to launch Bake & Take in the UK, with the North West as the company’s heartland.
“The next step is to commence the franchise recruitment campaign, which is already off to a great start, with the receipt of 50 franchise enquiries from our new website, highlighting the appetite for Bake & Take in the UK.”
Daniel Harris & Co has been retained to advise on site acquisitions.
