All day cafe/bar operator Loungers makes key appointments and looks at Pitcher & Piano

By Nicky Godding

9 April 2024

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Loungers, the leading operator of all day café/bar/restaurants across the UK under the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside brands, has made new appointments.

It has also confirmed that it is in advanced negotiations regarding a site on Bristol’s harbourside and hopes to open a Lounge there during the summer.

In a statement, the company said: "We’re really proud of our Bristol heritage and hope that this location will allow us to welcome a new Lounge in our home city. Should we be successful in completing this deal, we look forward to the Bristol Pitcher & Piano team joining the Loungers family.”

Current Lounge Managing Director Justin Carter has been promoted to the new role of Group Managing Director. Effective from Monday 8^th April 2024, Justin, who has been in the business for nine years, will take overall responsibility for all three brands – Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside.

In a new external appointment for the company, Kate Eastwood will join as Lounge Managing Director on Monday 8^th April 2024. Kate joins Loungers from Fullers where, as Operations Director, she was responsible for over 100 sites in London and the South.

David Matthews has been appointed as Lounge Operations Director (North), following two successful years as a Regional Operations Manager driving the expansion of the company’s Northern frontier.

Nick Collins, CEO, Loungers plc said: “I am delighted for both Justin and David and would like to wish a very warm welcome to Kate. We have got to know Kate well over the last few months are excited about the impact she will have leading the Lounge business.

“As the business continues to grow, it’s critical we have the best organisational structure in place to protect and enhance both our culture and the hospitality we provide. The creation of the Group MD role provides a great platform for Justin to influence our current three brands in their different stages of evolution.

"It is also really pleasing that in David’s promotion to Ops Director, we have another great internal progression story. David joined the business in 2019 as an Ops Manager, and over the last 5 years has had a major influence on our performance and growth. We are fortunate that our rapid growth creates fantastic career development opportunities; our goal is to be the number one choice for anyone looking at a career in the UK hospitality industry. ”

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.