A growing pride: The takeover and expansion of Leon

Tell me a little bit about the history of Leon?

Leon was founded in 2004 with the mission to make it easy for everybody to eat and live well. We created Naturally Fast Food and have always championed seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired and free-from food, and we were the first to display nutritional symbols on our menus.

We now have over 80 restaurants across the UK and in the Netherlands. Traditionally a high street brand, Leon has become a multi-format business with our expansion into Drive Thru and Self-Serve Coffee Kiosks.

We launched our grocery range exclusively in Sainsbury’s supermarkets in October 2019, expanding the range over the last few years to vegan sides, frozen waffle fries, dips, soups, salads and sauces, and more. Recently, we expanded the range to become available in Ocado, ASDA and Booths. Leon has launched 12 cookbooks and sold over 1 million books, which have been translated from English into six languages: German, Dutch, French, Portuguese for Brazilian publication, Spanish and Korean. We are looking forward to our next exciting cookbook launching in May.

What made you confident the company was ready to expand?

We see the demand from our fans through our social media and feedback channels, we are constantly being contacted by guests from all over the UK asking us to come to this or that location. We’ve had steady growth plans in place for some time, and with EG Group’s investment back in May 2021, we were able to accelerate our plans. We have an incredibly talented and solid team across all aspects of the Leon business from food development to operations and marketing and property, delivering new Leons has never been more seamless.

Why did you choose to expand in London again?

Our expansion through the years has proudly taken us throughout the UK, and even further afield, however, Leon will always have an affinity with London as it’s home to our first-ever restaurant on Carnaby Street. Leon will always offer an experience that is absolutely suited to city life and catering to more and more Londoners is something that’s so exciting for us at Leon.

Are there plans to expand further afield?

This Spring, Leon is gearing up to open its first restaurant in the South West of England, on an iconic shopping street in Bath. Other regional UK locations are also under consideration, as well as openings with franchise partners in alternative locations, such as motorway service stations, which includes a recent opening in Magor, the first Leon in Wales.

Would you ever consider expansion into Europe?

We are already in Europe, via a Franchise partner, and currently have four restaurants in the Netherlands – Rotterdam, two locations in Schipol and Utrecht. We are also exploring additional territories within Europe over the next 12 months.

How has the introduction of self-service kiosks in Asda helped the business?

Our coffee is more accessible nationwide than ever with our expansion into self-serve kiosks in ASDA and EG Forecourts. Our Leon triple-certified coffee now available at the touch of a button challenges the misconception that coffee prepared in this way is inferior to barista-made coffee. Leon machines use the same organic triple-certified beans that you can find in our restaurants or pick up on retail shelves from our Grocery range. Leon has a longstanding partnership with the World Land Trust, and for every seven cups of coffee we serve from our kiosks, restaurants or at-home bags, Leon will save 1 square mile of rainforest, so we are delighted to invite our guests to enjoy a coffee on us safe in the knowledge that they are saving the rainforest with every cup.

How has the business grown since being taken over by EG group?

EG Group’s ownership of Leon has enabled a continuous pipeline of traditional high street openings throughout the UK as well as new formats such as the Drive-Thru in Gildersome, Leeds.

Has the business changed since the takeover?

The new investment has allowed a faster digital kiosk rollout into most restaurants now, facilitating increased throughput of orders, and enabling a seamless omnichannel experience. All restaurants now also have digital menu screens which means that we have increased marketing opportunities to guests. Whilst digital was always on the LEON agenda, available funding has expedited the rollout.

Where do you see the company in five years?

We will continue to serve Naturally Fast Food that tastes good, does you good, is affordable and is kind to the planet. We want to make Leon more accessible than ever and hope to be in even more locations across the UK and beyond, alongside a continued success and expansion of our Leon at Home grocery lines.