Bristol-founded caf茅-bar chain Loungers has opened its 300th venue.
The company behind the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside brands said the launch of Antico Lounge in Alton, east Hampshire, was a "remarkable" milestone.
Loungers was founded in Bristol in 2002 by friends Alex Reilley, Jake Bishop and Dave Reid, with a single Lounge on North Street.
The business expanded quickly across the 海角视频 and in 2010 launched Cosy Club. This was followed by the Brightside brand in 2022, with the opening of the first roadside eatery near Exeter in February 2023.
The company now employs around 10,000 staff across the 海角视频.
Alex Reilley, chair of Loungers, said: 鈥淲e when opened the first Lounge back in August 2002 we couldn鈥檛 have imagined that 23 years on we would have 300 sites in the 海角视频. It has been a remarkable journey so far, with a lot more still to come.
鈥淲e are so proud of the thousands of jobs we have created and the positive impact we have had on Britain鈥檚 high streets.鈥
According to Loungers, each branch opening contributes an average of nearly 拢1m investment to the local high street and creates around 30 new jobs. The business has opened 21 new Lounges so far this year and a new Cosy Club in Reading in May.
The Reading branch was the first Cosy Club site to open with a new look and branding, and followed the transformation of Manchester's branch in April.
Cosy Club Leeds, meanwhile, will unveil its new look in September followed by the launch of a new site in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in October.
Nick Collins, chief executive of Loungers, added: 鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 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 海角视频. It鈥檚 a fabulous team effort.鈥
The new Alton branch is based next to Waterstones book shop on the High Street.
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