Spur Steak & Grill, the South African steakhouse brand, is eyeing further expansion in the UK after setting up a new operational hub at a former franchise site in Staines and reporting a near 17% increase in full-year sales.
The group, which currently operates seven sites in the UK, has relaunched its former franchise site in Staines as the Two Rivers Spur as a company-owned site, with regional offices, boardroom and training centre set to be installed at the site.
The company, which operates 370 restaurants in total, with the majority in Africa, is led in the UK by David Maich and updated and refreshed its brand design and food offering across its estate here last year.
Pierre von Tonder, Spur Corporation chief executive, said: “Two Rivers Spur is an excellent opportunity for the business and we are delighted to have the restaurant in the Spur family fold. Customers have their expectations and it’s important that all our restaurants deliver an experience consistent with our national offer.
“Our UK business is performing well following our re-brand at the beginning of 2012, with sales for July 2011 to June 2012 up 16.7% on the previous year, and we’re confident that under a corporate management team Two Rivers will fall in line with this healthy growth. I can’t give more details at present, but we have ambitions for expanding in the UK, and although we have taken back Two Rivers to consolidate the Spur brand, that does not rule out future franchise opportunities.”
Maich said: “We’ve given the restaurant a new name and a fresh new look but all the Spur favourites will stay on the menu, along with some new ideas. Our top priority is to offer tasty food, consistent quality and genuinely friendly, ‘can do’ service and with the new management and team we are aiming for an all-round better eating-out experience.”
