Jamie Oliver plans to expand European footprint

Just six months after his return to the UK restaurant scene, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is reportedly seeking franchise partners in Europe.

While Oliver’s restaurants, including his Jamie’s Italian chain, came to a sudden end in the UK in 2019, resulting in around 1,000 staff being made redundant, internationally the vestiges of his ex-empire remain, with brands including Jamie Oliver’s Diner, Jamie’s Deli and Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria remaining.

These sites are predominantly found in India, the Arab Gulf, and Europe, and it is in the latter region where Oliver has supposedly set his sights for future expansion.

As reported by Restaurant, Jamie Oliver Group is on the hunt for franchise partners in Spain, Switzerland, Austria and Poland – at present, Oliver does have sites for his deli concept in Spain (at Malaga Airport) and Austria (Vienna Airport).

The news comes after this month’s opening of a Jamie Oliver Kitchen site in Berlin, franchised with BMB Group, which is also based in the German capital.

“Once we had found the right partner in BMB Group, Jamie Oliver Kitchen felt like the right restaurant concept to open in Berlin,” the group’s global restaurant director, Ed Loftus, told Restaurant. It is understood that further openings in Germany are planned, and that this year further franchises in Montenegro, the Middle East and India are expected to be established.

Oliver’s long-awaited restaurant in London was not met with the warmest reviews, but the chef at Jamie Oliver Catherine Street suggested that the critics should have waited longer before paying a visit.