Carluccio’s to open in first airport site

Italian restaurant/café chain Carluccio’s has landed a new site at Heathrow Airport’s massive Terminal Five development in West London.

Carluccio’s will open at Heathrow airport landside in March 2008 with around 90-seats and its usual mix of retail and caffé offering.

Simon Kossoff, managing director of Carluccio’s, said he expected the restaurant to really fly once open.

“Most operators coming to an airport would have to develop a breakfast offer from scratch but as Carluccio’s is based around an all-day trading model we are prepared and expect to do very well from the off in an all-day trading environment,” he said.

In the 26 weeks ended 25 March, Carluccio’s turnover soared 20% to £25.9m (2006: £21.6m) while adjusted pre-tax profit, which excludes 2006’s floatation costs, was 28% higher at £2.5m (2006: £2m).

The company credited strong growth on a combination of new openings – it already has six new sites lined up for the full year, one more than its target of five – and a competitive stance with suppliers that has seen numbers rationalised, purchasing volumes increased and an improvement in profit margins.

Carluccio’s will open in Walton-on-Thames; Bentalls, in Kingston-upon-Thames; and London’s Covent Garden in the second half of the year.

The company has also paid out to investors its first interim dividend of 0.6p per share.

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By Chris Druce

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