Carluccio’s celebrates a milestone in the group’s history today, with the opening of its 100th UK restaurant in north east England’s leading shopping destination, intu Metrocentre Gateshead.
The new restaurant will create 20 new jobs and follows summer openings at The Exchange, a brand new £3m retail piazza within Chelmsford’s High Chelmer Shopping Centre (opened 29 July) and McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Swindon, which also opens today.
The 2,860 square foot site in Gateshead will include 80 covers indoors and 52 on the restaurant’s semi-alfresco indoor terrace.
Neil Wickers, CEO of Carluccio’s, commented, “Reaching 100 UK outlets is a significant milestone for the business and makes me very proud. Carluccio's is entering a period of faster growth with a UK brand roll out of around 12 sites per year. In line with our new generation store at Spitalfields, London, which opened earlier this year, we are also refurbishing a number of restaurants.”
Carluccio’s now employs over 3,000 people and has a UK turnover of £137.8m (year ending September 2015). Through its charity partnership with Action Against Hunger, Carluccio’s has raised more than £1.5m since 2007, via a 50p donation from sales of its Penne Giardinera pasta dish.