Leon (branded as LEON) is a fast food chain based in the United Kingdom, established in 2004. The company had around 70 outlets when it was bought by EG Group in 2021.
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | 2004[1] |
| Founders | John Vincent Henry Dimbleby Allegra McEvedy[2] |
| Headquarters | London |
Number of locations | 61 (April 2021)[3] |
Area served | United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, United States, India |
Key people | John Vincent, Chief Executive Officer |
| Owner | Asda |
| Website | leon |
History
editLeon was founded by John Vincent and Henry Dimbleby with chef Allegra McEvedy.[4][5][6][7] The business was named after Vincent's father,[4][5][8] and opened its first outlet in Carnaby Street in 2004.[9][10] Six months after opening, Leon was named the "Best New Restaurant in Great Britain" at The Observer Food Monthly Awards.[8]
In 2008, Leon became a founding member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association.[11]
In March 2009, McEvedy gave up her role at Leon to focus on writing and television work, but remains a shareholder. In 2014, John Vincent took over from Henry Dimbleby as CEO, and Dimbleby then left the board in 2017. He also remains a shareholder.
By 2015 Leon had 57 restaurants.[12] In January 2015, HMSHost operated six Leon locations in airports and railway stations in southern England, and Leon announced an expansion of its relationship with HMSHost in 2018, including a franchise agreement in airports and railway stations across Europe and the Middle East.[13][14][15] The company hoped to reach an international clientele through these outlets, and help create demand ahead of further overseas openings.[16][17]
In June 2016 the first Leon outside England opened in Amsterdam.[18] Other overseas openings followed, including restaurants at Utrecht, Oslo, Gran Canaria, Dublin and Leon's first restaurant in the United States, in Washington, D.C.[19] The latter's style was described as "fast-casual Mediterranean" in the local press.[20]
The chain was named in the 2017 The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list.[21] Leon was backed by Active Private Equity and, in May 2017, Spice Private Equity became a major investor to support further global expansion plans.[citation needed]
By 2018, the company had 61 sites.[22] In the first quarter of 2019, 53% of the chain's food sales were plant-based or vegetarian.[22]
In March 2020, Leon set up the "Feed NHS" initiative to deliver 5,600 free meals a day to National Health Service critical care staff at London hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] Other restaurant chains became involved, including Franco Manca, Tortilla, Tossed, and Wasabi.[24] A JustGiving page was created to raise funds.[25]
Leon USA Inc. filed for liquidation in February 2021, citing low customer numbers because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It had three outlets in Washington and a fourth nearby in Fairfax, Virginia.[20]
Purchase by EG Group
editIn April 2021, the company was sold for a reported £100 million to the Issa brothers' EG Group, which also operates fast food franchises and had recently agreed to buy a majority stake in the Asda supermarket business.[3] At that time, Leon had 71 outlets, of which 42 were operated by the company; the other 29 were franchises at transport hubs, in the UK and five other European countries.[26] In an October 2023 restructuring, EG Group sold most of its UK operations – including Leon – to Asda.[27]
Other activities
editLeon has published several cookbooks, and developed a cookware and tableware line with retailer John Lewis.[28][29]
References
edit- ^ "Vision". Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ "Founders". Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Leon: Billionaire Issa brothers buy fast food chain". BBC News. 18 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ a b Evans, Simon (16 August 2009). "Henry Dimbleby: nine restaurants and growing". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ a b "John Vincent, co-founder, Leon Restaurants". Marketing. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ^ Bordell, Tom; Jaffer, Mehdi. "If God owned McDonald's..." London: The Gateway. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ "Food chefs: Allegra McEvedy". London: BBC. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ a b Nielsen, Tina (July 2008). "Profile: Leon". Director magazine. London. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ Restaurants, Leon. "Vision". Leonrestaurants.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Scott-Moncrieff, Chloe (22 January 2006). "Fast food needn't be junk food". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 4 April 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ "Leon co-founder to lead food system review". BBC News. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Restaurants – Leon Restaurants". Leonrestaurants.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ Restaurants, Leon. "HMS". Leonrestaurants.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Central & East News (17 December 2014). "Leon Lands at Stansted". insidermedia.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Lysecki, Sarah. "HMSHost wins Eurotunnel and East Midlands Airport concessions". Moodiereport.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Burn-Callander, Rebecca. "Leon eyes US expansion". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ "LEON launches flagship restaurant in Gran Canaria Airport". QSRMedia UK. 7 August 2018. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ Burn-Callander, Rebecca (8 May 2016). "Healthy fast food chain Leon reveals profit leap – and its secret martial arts experiment". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ^ "Leon aims to help US 'fall back in love' with fast food". Evening Standard. 25 June 2018. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ a b Sernovitz, Daniel J. (4 February 2021). "D.C. arm of fast-casual chain Leon files for bankruptcy". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Fast Track 100 league table 2017". The Sunday Times Fast Track. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Leon Restaurants Limited: Annual Report and Financial Statements, 2018". Companies House. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ Butler, Sarah (27 March 2020). "Leon sets up initiative to deliver free meals to NHS critical care staff". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Milsom, Jennie (27 March 2020). "These amazing people need us – Leon's FeedNHS appeal for 'vital funds' hopes to raise £1m". The Caterer. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ "Damian, Helen & Matt". JustGiving. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ Jahshan, Elias (18 April 2021). "New Asda owner EG Group buys Leon restaurants". Retail Gazette. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ Hunt, Simon (31 October 2023). "Issa brothers complete EG Group UK sale to Asda at a discount". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "English restaurateurs share ideas for healthy cooking in 'Leon: Naturally Fast Food'". Los Angeles Daily News. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ "LEON – John Lewis & Partners". www.johnlewis.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2019.