London-based Levant Restaurants Group's Lebanese brand, Comptoir Libanais, is planning a £40m stock market flotation to fund expansion across Britain — and a move into the Middle East, according to The Times.
Founded by Algerian national Tony Kitous, Levant Restaurants operates 9 outlets across London, plus one in Manchester and at Gatwick Airport. It also operates two smaller Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean outlets under the Shawa brand and a further two standalone high-end restaurants called Levant and Kenza.
The next restaurant opening will be in Exeter. Annual turnover for the group stood at £17.7m last year.
Levant has also signed a franchise deal with HMSHost, the transport caterer, to open a a new restaurant at Abu Dhabi airport next year.