Pure appoints Takhamt as first COO

Healthy grab and go brand Pure has appointed Said Takhamt, formerly of Pret, itsu and Eat, as its first chief operating officer.

Takhamt, who joins in September from Cojean, will oversee day to day operations of the 21-strong Pure and work alongside co-founder and CEO Spencer Craig.

He will also run the people team responsible for all recruitment, learning, training and development.

Takhamt praised the Pure brand, its growth plans, healthy food offering, sustainability work and strong management team.

He told MCA: “We are planning to open many shops next year and most of them in transport hubs.”

Takhamt began his career as general manager at Pret, working his way up to international head of operations, and overseeing its expansion into airports.

At itsu he led expansion across urban café’s, regional stores and airport businesses; while at Eat he helped rebrand and re-build the operational business model also saw him use his travel hub expertise at Madrid Airport and Paris’ Gare Du Nord.

Pure CEO Spencer Craig said: “We are truly delighted to bring Said and his expertise on board at this very exciting time in the business. We believe his skills will help successfully grow the Pure business as it continues to expand across London and into major travel locations. His wealth of unrivalled experience makes him perfectly placed to take on this challenging new role.”