The group says the performance reflects ‘the success of a renewed operational strategy’ under new CEO Andy Naylor, who stepped into the role in April last year, with significant progress made in enhancing its customer offer and digital infrastructure.
This includes a major refresh of Tortilla’s core menu, a new loyalty app that launched in August 2024 and has already attracted nearly 200,000 users, and a continued rollout of self-service kiosks across the estate.
Profitability in the UK also improved over the period with adjusted EBITDA increasing from £4.6m to £5.2m, driven by efficiencies gained through investment in kitchen automation, enhanced buying power, and sustainability initiatives including the installation of solar panels and in-store AI energy-saving systems.
Revenue across the whole group for the year rose by 3.5% to £68m (2023: £65.7m), supported by a combination of strong domestic performance, new store openings and a successful entry into France via the acquisition of Fresh Burritos in June.
Adjusted EBITDA was slightly down year-on-year at £4.5m (2023: £4.6m) due to the inclusion of £0.7m of expected early-stage losses from the acquisition in France.
Overall, pre-tax losses for the group rose from £1.1m to £3.3m, which it attributed to impairments in a small number of sites and exception items including, primarily, acquisition costs.
“I am pleased with the momentum the business is building and delighted to share the significant progress we collectively have made during the year,” says Naylor.
“When I stepped into the CEO role in April 2024, my first priorities were the UK like-for-like sales, which improved from a decline in March 2024 to growth by the end of the year.
“The second mission was to commence our European growth plans and with the acquisition of sites in France last summer, we’ve made good progress on this task too.
“We’ve got a great base now from which we can continue to grow as the work is far from complete and we are still at the beginning of this exciting journey.”
Franchise partnerships also played a key role in the group’s sales growth during the year.
In the UK, travel hub operator SSP delivered like-for-like sales growth of 5% and opened three new Tortilla locations, while Compass Group continued to expand the brand’s presence on university campuses.
Internationally, franchise partner Eathos drove ‘exceptional’ performance in the Middle East, with like-for-like sales up 23.5% and plans in place for further expansion in the region.
At the end of the year the group operated a global estate of 117 sites, up from 89 at the end of 2023.
Looking ahead, Tortilla says it remains focused on building momentum in the UK, where early 2025 trading has been ‘encouraging’ with like-for-like sales up by 5.9% in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, as part of the European rollout strategy, the group launched a new central production kitchen in Lille earlier this year that has three times the capacity of the UK kitchen, creating a springboard for growth.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished over the past year, from the progress made in the UK to the expansion through our franchise partners, and the strategic acquisition in France, which has provided us with an important springboard into mainland Europe,” Naylor continues.
“With our food offering now better than it has ever been, and exciting technology developments in progress, I am looking forward to what 2025 and beyond will bring.”
Founded in 2007, Tortilla positions itself as Europe’s largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand.