Bristol-based café-bar group Loungers has reached a milestone with the launch of its 300th site.
The operator of the Lounge, Cosy Club, and Brightside brands described the opening of Antico Lounge in Alton, east Hampshire, as a “remarkable” milestone.
Loungers was established in Bristol in 2002 by friends Alex Reilley, Jake Bishop, and Dave Reid, starting with a single Lounge on North Street.
The company grew rapidly across the UK, introducing the Cosy Club brand in 2010 and later launching Brightside in 2022, with its first roadside restaurant opening near Exeter in February 2023.
Today, the company employs approximately 10,000 people nationwide.
Chair of Loungers, Alex Reilley, said: “We when opened the first Lounge back in August 2002 we couldn’t have imagined that 23 years on we would have 300 sites in the UK. It has been a remarkable journey so far, with a lot more still to come.
“We are so proud of the thousands of jobs we have created and the positive impact we have had on Britain’s high streets.”
Loungers reports that each new branch represents an average investment of nearly £1m in the local high street and generates around 30 jobs. So far this year, the company has launched 21 new Lounges and opened a Cosy Club in Reading in May.
The Reading site was the first Cosy Club to debut a refreshed look and branding, following the revamp of the Manchester branch in April.
Cosy Club Leeds is set to reveal its updated look in September, with a new location opening in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in October.
Nick Collins, chief executive of Loungers, added: “We couldn’t have reached this milestone without the astonishing effort of everyone who is involved in finding, building, and opening our sites; supporting them from our HQ, and of course our teams in the Lounges, Cosy Clubs and Brightsides busy serving communities across the UK. It’s a fabulous team effort.”
The new Alton location is situated on the High Street, adjacent to the Waterstones bookstore.