The Inception Group is eyeing expansion outside London within the next 12-24 months, with Oxford, Manchester, and Birmingham on the list of cities under consideration, director and co-founder Charlie Gilkes tells MCA.
The London-based group announced last week that it will open a new 1950s bar concept at Battersea Power Station’s Control Room B, and recently acquired its first Soho site to open a new Mr Fogg’s venue.
“Central London is an area we know well,” Gilkes says. “But we’re open-minded. I would like [to expand outside London] within the next 12-24 months.”
While the new Mr Fogg’s venue will open early next year, the group also plans to roll out sites under the other brands in its portfolio in 2023.
“We’d like to do more with Cahoots and Bunga Bunga,” Gilkes adds. “That’s the beauty of being a multi-brand company.”
The Control Room B concept will be unique to Battersea Power Station and have an immersive and experiential offer featuring mid-twentieth century-inspired interiors, a centrepiece bar, and staff wearing utilitarian boiler suits.
“Battersea Power Station feels like a real career highlight for us,” Gilkes says. “We’re excited to be given this opportunity with such heavy competition. We feel like it’s a real legacy site for us, like we’ve been trusted as custodians of this space.”
The new site will also serve as a foray into other day parts, serving coffee, tea, and pastries by day and cocktails by night. With other concepts being primarily night time-based, new sites will base their offer on the location and its opportunities but the focus will continue to be on drink, according to Gilkes.
This is partly because demand for cocktail-based concepts and experiential offers has remained strong, with brands across the portfolio recovering well following the pandemic.
“We’re well up on 2019, despite lots of headwinds. Our costs, from utilities to food and drink, have gone up but demand for our offer has been resilient.”
Corporate bookings have also been strong, while the shift from Fridays to mid-week has offset any decline in footfall due to work-from-home trends.
“Fridays are certainly not what they used to be pre-pandemic,” Gilkes says. “But people are doing more team socials when they do go to the office, and they’re doing more experiential things.”
The Inception Group has its “hands full” between existing concepts and the newly launched Control Room B, but is looking to constantly evolve its menus and is also focused on increasing energy efficiency, he adds.
The company is keeping a “close eye on its costs” amid the anticipated drop in discretionary spend.
“You can’t ever stay still. You’ve got to keep evolving and improving,” he says. “We’re doubling down on what we’ve always done by offering a great experience and escapism, and a perception of value for money off the back of experience. People need outlets like ours.”
