Bella Italia to open 20 new sites before June

Bella Italia is planning 20 new openings before June as it continues its expansion.

Four are planned for February, with sites in Colliers Wood, south London, and Orpington, Kent, open already this month.

The other two sites - Glasgow's Silverburn Shopping Centre and in Kingston-upon-Thames - are former La Tasca restaurants, which Bella owner Casual Dining Group (CDG) bought last summer.

The 180-cover Colliers Wood restaurant, in the Tandem Centre, is a £915,000 investment for a 15-year lease.

At Orpington, the £750,000 restaurant is in a cinema scheme called The Walnuts, and will cater for 124 diners. It has been taken on a 20-year lease.

CDG property director Phil Derbyshire said: "These four openings mark the beginning of a really busy four months for Bella, with sites set to open in some of the premier leisure retail schemes in the UK."

February's openings will bring the number of Bella Italia restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales to 97, with recent new openings including Mansfield, Walsall and Gloucester.