Friska, the Bristol-based healthy fast-casual restaurant group, is opening another two stores in Bristol this year before looking to open a cluster of restaurants in Birmingham followed by Manchester, M&C Report has learnt.
The group, led by Griff Holland and Ed Brown, has entered fundraising with angel investors to raise £1.25m to open ten new stores.
These will include two more Bristol sites before the end of the year – including a concession stand with ‘a major Bristol employer’ – that are in negotiations.
Holland told M&C Report the plan is to open five stores in both Birmingham and Manchester starting in 2015 before looking to move onto another city.
“The long term plan is to come to London and open a cluster of stores there,” Holland told M&C.
The group is looking at Birmingham and Manchester because each city has a large population of 20 – 40 something professionals.
“We want to be the best place for breakfast, lunch and coffee for 20 – 40-something office workers,” Holland said.
The roll-out strategy will be to open one store each quarter to total ten in 30 months.
“The last four years have been about crystalising what Friska means and how we make that come to life. Our strap line is ‘feel good foods’ but it is also about redefining expectations within our industry,” Holland said.
Friska, which means fresh in Swedish, was set up in 2009. The restaurants offer ethically sourced, locally produced seasonal foods, with the price of a lunchtime meal typically coming in at around £5.
