Thai Leisure Group (TLG) the authentic Thai hospitality brand, has launched its Thaikhun street food concept to Nottingham, its first in the midlands. The 4,761 square feet site, which opened on 26 November, is located in Intu’s hugely popular Victoria shopping centre, within the newly developed two story dining area, next to the famous Clock Tower.
The new clock tower dining area is part of a wider £40 million refurbishment programme for the centre which also includes new interiors, new entrances, and improved lighting and finishes throughout the mall.
New Managing Director
Thai Leisure Group has also appointed a new Managing Director as owners and co-founders Martin Stead and Kim Kaewkriakhot re-position themselves as joint Chair-people.
Ian Leigh, who was previously Group Operations Director for TLG, will be tasked with taking the business into the next phase of development. Leigh has over 17 years in the hospitality sector working in a consultancy capacity for a number of international leisure brands before joining Martin and Kim in 2010.
Leigh, has overseen a period of rapid growth for Thai Leisure Group during his 5 year stint as Operations Director, culminating with the two recent openings for their Thaikhun street food concept in Glasgow and Nottingham. Now at the helm of the group he will be charged with driving Thai Leisure Group’s nationwide expansion plans following the securing of £10 million investment earlier this year. The group is planning to open a further 8 sites next year including in Guildford and Newcastle.
Leigh will be supported in the senior management team by Christian Hall (Group Commercial and Finance Director), Jason Almeida (F&B Director) and a newly appointed Marketing Director to be unveiled next month.
Looking ahead, Ian Leigh says: ‘Our mission is to ‘own’ Thai in the UK and become synonymous with Thailand in the hospitality sector. For me, it’s about surpassing customers’ expectations when it comes to product and service, while continually improving your offer with bucket loads of passion and energy. We’re in a crowded market place where everything matters and every details count. It’s an exciting period to be at the head of TLG, as we continue to bring our creative Thai restaurant concepts to new areas of the UK.
Thai Leisure Group’s two key brands, Chaophraya and Thaikhun are currently playing a pivotal role in the changing face of the UK’s Thai restaurant industry. Thaikhun’s authentic, rustic restaurant design combined with tasty street food straight from the streets of Bangkok provides a distinct interactive dining experience. While the Chaophraya brand represents the finest form of Modern Thai Dining, encapsulating the elegance of Thai temples and the luxury of Thailand’s exquisite hotels.
Thaikhun’s sixth site
The opening of the Nottingham venue is the brand’s sixth UK site and follows the announcement of plans to open a second Scottish restaurant in Glasgow, within the new £20 million leisure extension of Glasgow’s Silverburn shopping centre. Thaikhun currently has sites in Manchester, Liverpool, Cambridge and Aberdeen.
The Nottingham concept, which brings Thai street food from the streets of Bangkok to the UK, has 195 covers and has created 50 full and part time jobs. Thaikhun’s authentic, rustic restaurant design combined with tasty street food provides a distinct interactive dining experience.
The addition of Thaikhun’s Nottingham and Glasgow sites are the latest openings in Thai Leisure Group’s nationwide expansion plans since securing £10 million investment earlier this year.
Ian Leigh, MD at Thaikhun comments: “We are incredibly excited to bring Thaikhun to Nottingham and are pleased to be playing a major part in the Victoria Centre’s revitalised late night food and drink offering. Our passion is to share a real taste of Thailand’s ‘street food scene’ with the people of Nottingham by serving traditional Thai food and educating customers on the culture surrounding our cuisine.”
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