Wagamama, the pan-Asian casual dining chain, has announced the appointment of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) marketing director Simon Cope to a new role of marketing, property and international franchising director.
The company said that Cope will have responsibility for Wagamama’s overall brand position, with his role encompassing marketing, property and the international franchising business. Wagamama said the new position reflects the “continued successful expansion of the Company both in the UK and in other international markets”.
Cope spent 12 years at M&B in a number of senior marketing roles. Before that he worked for Britvic in marketing and sales roles for the Pepsi brand.
David Williams, chairman of Wagamama, said: “We are delighted to make this appointment to the leadership team at Wagamama. Simon brings with him a wealth of industry experience from his previous role as marketing director of Mitchells & Butlers. His in-depth understanding of both the UK consumer and the industry will be invaluable to us as we continue to develop the Wagamama brand.
“Simon joins the team at an exciting stage in Wagamama’s development, as we recently accelerated the group’s expansion programme, with plans to open 15-20 sites per year in the coming years.
“The strength of the Wagamama brand, coupled with an awareness of our customer demands in the increasing competitive marketplace, will be core to supporting this exciting growth both in the UK and international markets. We look forward to working with Simon and welcome him to the team.”
M&B chief executive Alistair Darby said: “Simon has made a significant contribution over the years to Mitchells & Butlers, helping to establish and evolve many of our well known brands such as O’Neill’s, Castle and Harvester. Simon will be with us until the end of September, at which time he will leave with our very best wishes for a successful future.”
