Loungers opens 200th Lounge and is creating 1,000 jobs
The growing Loungers group has opened its 200th Lounge site.
The group, which operates all day cafe bars and restaurants under the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside brands expects to create more than 1,000 jobs in the current year through new openings.
The 200th Lounge is Verdetto Lounge in Buckingham.
It has many in the West Midlands including Faro, Lichfield; Floro, Shrewsbury; Lupo, Wolverhampton; Novello, Telford; Soffio, Stourbridge; Tuppeto, Kidderminster and Verso, Stafford.
Each new Lounge opening results in an investment of nearly £1 million into the local high street and the creation of up to 30 new jobs on average.
Loungers believes that there is scope for at least 600 Lounges across the UK, and intends to open 34 new sites across its three brands in the current financial year alone.
The 200th Lounge opening brings the total estate size up to 238, including 35 Cosy Clubs and three Brightsides.
Alex Reilley, chairman and co-founder of Loungers, said: "We are hugely proud of the positive impact that our sites have had on local communities right across the UK since opening the first Lounge 21 years ago. We are determined to continue playing a major role in breathing new life into high streets, as well as creating and sustaining much needed local employment. Time and time again we've seen that the opening of a Lounge has a really positive knock-on effect on the businesses around it and, of course, on the local employment market. Last year alone we created around 1,000 new jobs through new site openings and are on course to comfortably exceed that figure in the current year."
