The Comptoir Group is understood to have appointed Mark Carrick, formerly of Ten Entertainment Group, as its new chief financial officer.
Chief executive Chaker Hanna confirmed to MCA that an appointment had been made but said he could not comment further. Carrick spent seven years at Ten, having joined from Atmosphere Bars. He started his hospitality career at JD Wetherspoon.
Hanna told MCA that one of the keys to the turnaround at the 30-strong group, which issued a profit warning last June but has since seen trade stabilise, was its commitment to keep growing its team.
Going forward, Hanna said the group would grow its franchised estate from three to 10, through partnerships with TRG Concessions in the UK and HMSHost internationally. He reiterated that while the Comptoir Libanais brand will continue to be the main growth driver in the short-term, it was likely that the currently three-strong Shawa would overtake it in the next five years.
He also spoke about the potential for the two-strong Yalla Yalla brand, which it acquired at the end of 2016, saying that it could open alongside Comptoir restaurants in some areas. He said the Winsley Street Yalla Yalla was currently being extended into the adjacent property, which Comptoir already owned but had yet to trade from.
On the upturn in trading, Hanna said: “Last year was a year if two halves. We had opened a lot of sites and that combined with the market getting tougher for everybody. For us, it’s not like the Italian or the burger operators, where people know exactly what they are going to get, it’s a different dynamic. If you open away from London it can take a while for people to understand what we are all about but when they get to know us they are very loyal to the brand.
“Having said that, our Birmingham site (in Grand Central) was was one of the best openings we have ever had. It has just gone up and up.
“Another challenge for us was the discounting. All our competitors were doing two-for-ones and all sorts of deals. We didn’t get involved but obviously there was some disruption because some of our customers were tempted away. But, we knew they would come back to us.”
He said he was excited at the potential for growth with Comptoir’s franchise partners and said there was likely to be scope for further company-managed travel hub sites, if the upcoming opening at London Bridge is a success.
