Café Fish looks south for growth

EDINBURGH'S Café Fish is poised to expand into England as its owner prepares to take on three new sites that will more than treble the business's turnover.

Richard Muir hopes to complete the purchase of existing restaurants in Leeds, London and Manchester by the end of this month, with the 60-seater site in Leeds to be converted into Caf Fish. He is working with a leading champagne house to develop a new concept for the restaurant in Manchester, which seats 120, and the London site with 100 covers.

All of the re-fits, which are expected to cost a combined 250,000, are scheduled to be completed by March of next year. The restaurant entrepreneur said they will likely increase turnover from about 750,000 currently to nearer 3 million. "It is all quite exciting, and it will give us critical mass," Muir said.

The deal comes just weeks after the re-location of the original Caf Fish from Leith to Stockbridge.

Like the new restaurants, the 100,000 move was funded from existing cash flow.

Muir said business at Stockbridge has been busy, with Caf Fish picking up passing midweek trade it missed out on in Leith.