Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) is reportedy planning to open 500 Caffé Carluccio’s stores over the next five years | Photo credit: Sainsbury's 

---

Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) has opened its first Caffé Carluccio’s coffee shop as part of a partnership with UK supermarket, Sainsbury's. Located in Sainsbury’s St Albans superstore, the new 900sq ft store has a 45-customer capacity, with BRG reportedly aspiring to open 500 Caffé Carluccio’s coffee shops in the UK over the next five years.
 
“Our customers tell us they love our brands and would like to access them more regularly and be part of their family home occasions. This trial with Sainsbury’s allows us to bring our range of high-quality products to more customers, more often, in varied formats,” said Satnam Leihal, Managing Director, Boparan Restaurant Group.
 
“We’re testing these new offers as part of our plan to put food back at the heart of Sainsbury’s – bringing even more innovative and delicious food and drink to our stores. This is the first time we’ve worked with Carluccio’s and we’ll be listening closely to see what shoppers think of the different concepts, said Rhian Bartlett, Food Commercial Director, Sainsbury’s.
 
Carluccio’s collapsed into administration in March 2020 during the UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown and was subsequently acquired by BRG in a £3.4m ($2.5m) deal the following June. BRG now operates a portfolio of nine UK casual dining brands, including Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Giraffe and Slim Chickens. The Carluccio's restaurant brand remains operational across 27 sites in the UK. 
 
BRG’s Sainsbury’s partnership echoes a similar arrangement between Pret A Manger and Tesco announced in May 2021. JAB Holdings-controlled Pret has been seeking to diversify following significant disruption to its core London commuter customer base during the pandemic. Pret will also begin trialling stores at UK petrol stations as part of a partnership with forecourt operator Motor Fuel Group.