Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is currently exploring ways in which it could scale its 25-strong brasserie & bar brand Browns.
Chief executive Phil Urban told MCA: “The challenge for Browns is how do you scale it? At present if you are only trying to go into heritage buildings in city centres then you can forget it. One of our challenges is whether you can take Browns or a derivative of the concept and make it work in suburbia. If you could do that then suddenly you have a huge pipeline. That is one of our works in progress, one of our NPD ideas, to say how do you make this work in other formats.”
Urban said that Browns has a strong consumer following but has been the victim of the same capital issue as the rest of M&B and is in part of the market where we have seen numerous brands come in, such as Cote.
He said: “We have just started the remodel of the brand, that’s in trade and we will see how that goes. Browns as a name still has a strong draw, but you have to have the amenity fit for purpose and you can’t afford to look tired.”
He said that the company’s All Bar One brand was a good example of how you can rejuvenate a brand and “keep it relevant and targeted”.
He said: “There is still lots more we can do with the format, especially in transport hubs. It works as all-day-offer, which can morph quiet easily.”
The company is currently working on a refurbishment of its All Bar One flagship in Leicester Square, which will open at the end of this year.
