Be At One promotes Andrew Stones to MD, reports Ebitda boost as turnover exceeds £40m: Cocktail bar specialist Be At One has made a trio of key strategic appointments as it looks to further accelerate its growth. The appointments come as the business closes out another record financial year with total sales exceeding £40m compared with £36.9m the previous year, Ebitda increasing to £5.7m compared with £5.1m the year before and, as previously reported by Propel, like-for-like sales up 7%. The group, which operates 33 bars across the UK including 17 in London, has promoted Andrew Stones from chief operating officer to managing director. Stones joined the business seven years ago following a number of senior roles across the sector and has worked closely alongside the three founding directors and wider management team in driving the business forward over that period. The group has also appointed Adam Gregory as operations director and Gillian Lambden as people director. Gregory joins from natural fast food brand Leon where he was director of restaurants. This followed a five-year period at Wagamama where he held senior operational roles in both the UK and the US. Prior to that he worked for Welcome Break and in a variety of managerial roles at TGI Friday’s. Lambden has spent six years in senior HR roles with a number of leading hospitality sector brands, most recently at Franco Manca, which is owned by Fulham Shore; and previously healthy Asian food chain Itsu. She also has a background in operations management for grab-and-go concepts such as EAT and Pret A Manger. Chairman Mark Derry said: “These key appointments signal a strong statement of intent for the business as we celebrate the important milestone of our 20th anniversary year. I am delighted Andrew has moved into his new role to lead Be At One as we look to embark on the next chapter of our exciting growth journey. Since he joined the business in 2011, Andrew has made an invaluable contribution and I’m absolutely convinced under his leadership the Be At One brand will continue to go from strength to strength. Furthermore, both Adam and Gillian bring with them wide-ranging experience and industry expertise which will undoubtedly enhance our capability from both an operational and people development perspective.” Be At One was founded in 1998 by Steve Locke, Leigh Miller and Rhys Oldfield, who remain as executive directors of the business. Stones previously told Propel the company plans to open up to seven sites in 2018.