Hero Brands has announced plans to open 223 units during 2022. The Scottish-headquartered group’s brands include: Island Poké, the U.K.’s leading poké operator; Choppaluna, the fast, fresh, food-to-go salad brand; Dirty Bones, the NYC-inspired food and cocktail concept; cutting-edge food technology operator Virtual Hero, which recently partnered with the Sidemen, Europe’s largest YouTube collective, to launch a new cloud-kitchen based mega food brand ‘Sides’; XIX Vodka, a premium drink.
“From our headquarters in Scotland we have developed a stable of rapidly growing brands of the future that are truly disrupting their respective categories,” said Imran Sayeed, CEO of Hero Brands.
“Consumer trends are changing, people want to have a great and affordable dining experience and be entertained too – our brands respond to this through our ethos of connecting music, food and fashion.
“2022 is proving to be a huge landmark year for our brands as we drive forward with our global growth plans, opening over 200 new locations and bringing greater disruption across the F&B space.
“We have also made moves to strengthen our leadership team which will be crucial for us in building on our growth whilst helping us to identify and develop new brands and opportunities that align with the progressive and transformative vision of Hero Brands.”
The group plans to open 106 new restaurants. Choppaluna will open 14 new locations, Island Poké 19, and Sides will make itself available from 84 new locations across the U.K., Europe and North America.
Hero Brands has moved to new headquarters at Peel Park in East Kilbride, Scotland to further support and facilitate its growth. Salman Siddiqui was also recently appointed as group corporate development director to strengthen the leadership team.
The Dirty Bones brand recently partnered with Hero Brands to grow its footprint across the U.K. From 2023 onwards, the brand will increase its footprint through owner-operated sites, franchisees, and via delivery. Multiple locations are expected in the coming years. Andrew Brattesani, the head of franchising at HSBC, has joined as a board advisor.
“I am delighted to be working alongside the talented leadership team at Hero Brands,” said Brattesani.
“I am looking forward to developing this extensive portfolio of game-changing brands and bring their exciting offerings to consumers throughout the globe.”
