Italian restaurant and food shop group Carluccio’s is heading to the Midlands with the opening of a store in Leicester.

The new restaurant will be located in the city centre and is scheduled  in September 2008.

Carluccio’s opened six new stores during the past 12 months with three in London, its first in Manchester and new restaurants in Surrey and Kingston.

The London openings included the launch of a new flagship store in Covent Garden in September this year.

Two more openings are scheduled later this year with a new store in central Manchester and one in Stratford upon Avon due to launch before Christmas.

The group’s first airport site will open at Heathrow Terminal 5 next spring.

In a trading update ahead of its full year results presentation for the 12 months to 23 September, the group said turnover would be up 18% year-on-year with pre-tax profit slightly ahead of expectations.

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By Kerstin Kühn

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