Exclusive – Fulham Shore appoints Marcel Khan as new chief executive: Fulham Shore – the operator of the Franco Manca and The Real Greek brands – has appointed Marcel Khan, formerly of Nando’s and Five Guys, as its new chief executive, Propel has learned. Khan, who will begin his new role next month, joins Fulham Shore with more than 20 years of experience working with high-growth brands operating in the hospitality and leisure industry. As its first employee outside of the US, he spearheaded Five Guys’ expansion in the UK and Europe as operations and brand development director, after spending more than ten years at Nando’s as a regional managing director. He was also previously chief executive of Thunderbird Fried Chicken. Since March 2020, Khan has additionally served as an operating partner at Capdesia, the investment firm exclusively focused on European branded restaurant chains. In recent years, he has also acted as an advisor and consultant to growing hospitality brands including Black Tap Craft Burgers (USA), Fishbowl (Australia), Ole & Steen (Denmark), Berberè Pizzeria (Italy), Miscusi (Italy) and Kaleido Rolls (UK). In his new role at Fulham Shore, Khan will be responsible for leading the continued development of the 70-strong Franco Manca and the 27-strong The Real Greek, expanding both brands throughout the UK and internationally. In the first instance, he will oversee the opening of Franco Manca’s new pizzeria in Brixton. Franco Manca will relocate from its first ever site in Brixton Market to a new 100-cover flagship restaurant. Earlier this year, Japanese investment firm Toridoll Holdings, which also backs Marugame Udon, completed its £93.4m acquisition of Fulham Shore, alongside Capdesia. Takaya Awata, chief executive of Toridoll, said: “We are delighted to welcome Marcel as Fulham Shore’s new chief executive. With tremendous industry experience, working with exciting, high-growth food and beverage brands, Marcel will play a crucial role in driving the next phase of Franco Manca and The Real Greek’s very exciting development. We look forward to working with him as we deliver on both brands’ potential and continue our slogan, ‘Filling Our Planet with Dining Experiences that will Move You’.” Niels Lorijn, co-founder and managing director of Capdesia, said: “Marcel is the perfect choice to lead Fulham Shore over its next stages of growth and development. As an operating partner at Capdesia, he is uniquely well positioned to drive forward our relationship with Toridoll and continue the evolution of the Fulham Shore’s two iconic brands.” Khan added: “I’m super excited to join The Fulham Shore. Franco Manca and The Real Greek are iconic, unique and well-loved brands with significant potential to expand in the UK, internationally and through retail channels. Having recently met Awata-san and his incredible leadership team at Toridoll, I’ve been truly inspired by their commitment to driving the emotional connection between brands and customers and delivering ‘Kando’, the Japanese word for the simultaneous feeling of deep satisfaction and excitement. I look forward to using my expertise to lead the next phase of The Fulham Shore’s development and introduce more customers to Franco Manca and The Real Greek’s differentiated offers.” Fulham Shore features in the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book. Its turnover of £82,700,000 in the year to 27 March 2022 is the 109th highest in the database, while its pre-tax profit of £3,900,000 is the 149th highest. The Blue Book ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

Exclusive – Mission Mars FY lfl sales up 15%, Christmas trade positive, 13 sites in legals: Mission Mars, the BGF-backed operator of Albert’s Schloss and the Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana brand, has reported like-for-like sales for the year to the end of September 2023 were 15% ahead of their comparable market segments in the Peach Coffer Tracker for the same period. The company, which has 28 venues across the UK including three Albert’s Schloss bars and 23 Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana, said wet and dry revenue for FY23 totalled £67.4m (FY22 £44.3m), with its Albert’s Schloss brand contributing £32.1m (FY22 £21.6m) and Rudy’s £29.3m (FY22 £16.1m). On a like-for-like basis (excluding the impact of VAT), Albert’s Schloss, which currently has venues in Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool, delivered growth of 6% in FY23, whilst Rudy’s delivered 24%. Group unaudited Ebitda for the period was £8.6m (FY22 £5.2m) excluding pre-opening costs. The business said that trading across the first eight weeks of its current financial year has been encouraging, with group revenue totalling £11.9m (FY23 £8.4m). It said like-for-like performance continued in a similar trend to FY23, with bars up 4% and Rudy’s up 18%, both “considerably outperforming their sectors”. The business said early Christmas trade has been “positive” and combined pre-booked covers for its three Albert’s Schloss are up 17% on prior year. Roy Ellis, chief executive of Mission Mars, said: “Despite numerous challenges, our team has delivered an industry leading Group Guest Experience score of 78% in FY23, an increase of 4% versus the same period in the prior year. This positive trend has continued into FY24. The group is spending a significant amount of time monitoring, analysing and responding to the external pressure the sector is facing. We have been delighted to reduce our colleague turnover to the lowest levels we have seen and are determined to improve further through continued investment in our training, development and team engagement initiatives. We opened our Pizzaiolo and Management Training academy in the summer of 2023 and have committed to remain a Real Living Wage employer in FY24. Strong trading across all venues for a sustained period gives us confidence that both our Albert’s Schloss and Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana brands are well set to deliver growth and are likely to trade successfully in all parts of the UK. We continue to search for the best locations, with 12 new Rudy’s and one new Albert’s Schloss currently in legals.” The business aims to open a further ten pizzerias in FY24. The company is set to open three new Rudy’s before Christmas, two in London and one in Durham. It has also added a site in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, to its 2024 opening pipeline. Albert’s Schloss is set to open its first venue in London next summer and work is progressing well on the former Rainforest Cafe site on Shaftesbury Avenue.