Chop’d acquired by Inc Retail

01-Feb-2021 - Last updated on 27-Apr-2021 at 13:09 GMT

Food-to-go operator Chop’d has been acquired by London-based retail group Inc Retail, for an undisclosed sum, in a deal which includes all 13 of its sites.

Chop’d currently has 10 sites in London as well as one each in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, all of which will stay open, according to Inc Retail.

Eddie Holmes, managing director, Chop’d, told BigHospitality's sister site MCA the business was actively looking for a buyer and was approached by Inc Retail, who knew the operation well as they were a regular customer.

The retail group said that as part of the acquisition there would be significant investment in expanding the menu offering, website and back-end ordering systems.

Holmes, who will stay on as MD, said the acquisition was 'a great opportunity' for Chop’d.

“As part of the Inc & Co group we will be looking to re-open all our shops and are already actively pursuing a number of new expansion routes,” he said.

Commenting on the deal Dan Shaw, managing director for Inc Retail Group, said: “Chop’d have a unique product offering which fits perfectly within the retail group and as a brand has always sourced 100% of its produce from the UK, including having saved over 3.5 million plastic bags from going to waste since inception.”

In June last year, Chop’d managing director Eddie Holmes told MCA that the Government’s reopening date for hospitality was irrelevant if there was not a workable solution to the rent issue.

“The reality of the situation is that there’s no point in opening if the landlords are going to take any money we make,” he said at the time.

Chop’d closed its Spitalfields site just before Christmas, when the lease ran out, and now has 13 sites.