Loungers continue 25-a-year expansion plan with four openings this month

Neighbourhood café-bar business Loungers is set to continue its plans to expand into 25 sites a year with four new locations in this month alone.

The company, founded in 2002, has already opened Orsino Lounge in Newton Abbot, Devon, which launched on 1 August following a £665,000 refurbishment. Another in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire opened last week while a third, in Chesterfield, began operations on 8 August.

The brand's 100th site, the Sorrento lounge in Moseley, Birmingham, opened in March this year. The company, which also owns the Cosy Club brand currently operates in 131 locations.

The increase in scale of the neighborhood cafe and bar concept comes at a time of crisis for other sectors - particularly casual dining which has seen a slew of negative headlines and closures across the year.

Loungers CEO Nick Collins told the Caterer: "We haven't seen any change in customer or in consumer behaviour, we haven't seen any change in footfall.

"Value for money has always been one of our founding principles and is absolutely crystal to our ongoing success so that's always at the forefront

"And if you look at the reason perhaps some of the restaurant chains might not have done quite so well it is because they haven't perhaps been as close to the pricing as perhaps they should have and they've become more expensive.

"We represent good value and we represent a good alternative because I think as our consistency and our hospitality are always focused on improving, so we present a good option for the consumer."

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