Italian restaurant and food shop group Carluccio’s has performed well in the first half of its financial year, adding trading at its new outlets in London had been encouraging.

In a pre-close trading update it reported a 21% rise in turnover for the six months to 25 March, in line with expectations.

Carluccio’s also said its minimum five-store opening target for the 2007 financial year remained on course.

Carluccio’s will open its third outlet of the financial year in the Trafford Centre in Manchester next Sunday (25 March), and is planning a fourth in Walton-on-Thames in the summer.

The fifth opening will comprise a new larger store in Covent Garden, which will include a full restaurant and retail offering and is scheduled to open towards the end of the financial year.

Carluccio’s profits and expansion plans on track after strong Christmas trading >>

Carluccio's to no longer publish like-for-like sales figures >>

Carluccio's goes smoke free >>

Carluccio's website >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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