Searcys plans to 'substantially expand' Champagne bars

Published: 08 June, 2012

Searcys is planning to "substantially expand" its retail arm with the development of two new concepts allied to its Champagne bar and restaurant side.

Under the guidance of new retail managing director Christian Rose, who headed up gin firm G&J Greenalls until March, two pilot sites will be opening in the next eight to 10 months.

Without giving much away, Rose said one of the concepts will "take the Champagne bar and restaurant concept to the next stage", while the other is "something totally different", which has "real scaleability".

One of the aims, Rose said, was to ensure that Searcys becomes well known with consumers as a retail brand rather than an upmarket catering business. Based on the success of the pilot sites he hopes to roll out the scheme "pretty quickly" to the rest of the estate and beyond.

The group has also just opened a pop-up site at Bicester Village outlet centre in Oxfordshire, which is serving Champagne, English sparkling wine, cream teas and sandwiches.

Rose told Harpers he "loves these challenges". When he took control at Greenalls in 2008, the group reported losses of £2 million, but by the end of his tenure it had grown to the stage where several interested parties wanted to buy it, with sales reaching £50 million in 2011.

During the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Rose said the business had some really strong performances, with 'people queuing up for Champagne and English wines" at its St Pancras venue and in shopping centres. But City outlet One New Change didn't perform as well as expected, hindered by road closures in the area. "It didn't set the world on fire," said Rose.

Searcys operates a range of bars and restaurants across London, including concessions at Westfield Shopping Centre and the National Portrait Gallery, as well as operating venues at The Gherkin and St Pancras. It also holds the contracts for Blenheim Palace and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Until 2010 Greenalls and Searcys shared the same parent company - the Alternative Hotel Group - but under a management buyout Searcys returned to private ownership in the same year.

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