Iconic London restaurant the Criterion has been taken over by Georgian entrepreneur Vasily Sopromadze as the first of a number of planned investments in the capital.
The Marco Pierre White-branded restaurant at Piccadilly Circus, which was run by White’s business partner Jimmy Lahoud, has been taken over by Sopromadze’s company Vox Restaurants.
The group will relaunch the restaurant in May and plans to acquire other restaurant opportunities in central London.
Are the Russians taking over?
Wow, such a landmark restaurant in Russian hands. It will be interesting to see what they do with the site and how their expansion plans unfold. I think the landscape will be very different in five or ten years' time.