Loungers opens 250th site in Rochdale

Loungers has announced the opening of its 250th site – Pionero Lounge in Rochdale – which officially opened today (29 January). 

Since the group’s interim results on 28 November, it has opened Coltello Lounge in Cramlington; Arturo Lounge in Penrith; Costero Lounge in Paignton; Consurio Lounge in Caerphilly; and Centivo Lounge in Ashby de la Zouch. 

Further openings are scheduled in the coming months and include Lounges in Bromsgrove, Chepstow, Westwood Cross, Macclesfield, Bracknell, Ilkley, Sidcup and Yeovil, with sites ranging from brand new developments to former banks, retail outlets and restaurants on the high street. 

According to Loungers, there is scope for at least 600 Lounges across the UK, as the group is on track to open 34 new sites in the current financial year alone. This is over and above the group’s Cosy Club and Brightside brands, which currently have 36 and three sites, respectively.

In 2023, the chain of restaurants created 1,000 new jobs in total, with one in eight of those jobs in an area the UK Government wants to ‘level up’ by creating better opportunities and standards of living. It expects to recruit the same number again in 2024. 

Alex Reilley, chairman and co-founder of Loungers, said: “The opening of our 250th site is a hugely satisfying landmark for a business that started in 2002 in Bristol with a single café-bar called The Lounge. A lot has changed since then but our commitment to providing our customers with excellent all-day food and drink, has never wavered.

“We’re on track to open 34 sites in the current financial year, which will be a record for us and will involve the creation of over 1,000 new jobs. In the longer term, we believe there is scope for over 600 Lounges alone across the UK.”  

He added: “None of this would be possible without the extraordinary talent, hard work and dedication of our people, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their contribution to building the business that Loungers is today.”