Tiger Bills, the Devon-based franchise restaurant concept, has earmarked 24 UK locations for expansion and has appointed its first international franchise manager to launch overseas.
The next site is due to open off Broad Street in Birmingham this month following a £150,000 investment under franchisee Craig Lewis, who has previously worked for Pubmaster and Greene King. Over the next three to five years, Lewis is to build a portfolio of around 10 to 12 Tiger Bills restaurants in the Midlands over the next three to five years, with Worcester set to follow Birmingham.
Tiger Bills’ target locations for the UK are: Shrewsbury, Solihull, Coventry, Leamington Spa, Wolverhampton, Stratford on Avon, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Hereford, Wimbourne, Blandford, Dorchester, Shaftesbury, Salisbury, Weymouth, Swanage, Poole, Bournemouth, Ringwood, Taunton, Bristol, Cardiff, Plymouth, and Falmouth.
An international franchise manager, Patrick Mauser, located in Thailand, has been appointed to “field interest and explore opportunities with overseas investors and potential franchisees”.
The first Tiger Bills opened five years ago in Exeter, with a second following in Torquay. The format is billed as an “East meets West” neighbourhood dining concept, serving a mixture of authentic Thai cuisine alongside traditional western-style food.
It was founded by James Eyre, owner of the Lifestyle Hospitality Group, who said: “Tiger Bills Torquay hit the ground running and the restaurant was profit making from day one of operation.
“It was at this point I started to really consider its potential as a viable restaurant franchise and met with the Approved Franchise Association in order to learn more about the process of turning a business into a franchise and they helped shaped Tiger Bills into a really solid franchise opportunity.”
Mauser said: “As soon as I became aware of the Tiger Bills franchise opportunity I knew this was a concept that could work well internationally. The brand is very strong and the ‘East meets West’ theme has wide appeal. The master franchise model enables the franchisee to be in control of an entire territory which makes it an extremely attractive proposition.
“My location in the north of Thailand is perfectly situated to be able to support international franchisees as well as enabling me to provide a support function to our head office in the UK by sourcing furniture and accessories to ensure our authenticity is never compromised.”
