9 April 2024

Loungers plc

("Loungers" or the "Group")

Loungers creates new Group MD role and appoints new Lounge MD

Loungers, a leading operator of all day café/bar/restaurants across the UK under the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside brands, is pleased to announce that Justin Carter is being promoted from his current role of MD of the Lounge brand to the newly created position of Group MD.

The introduction of this new role is aimed at ensuring that Loungers has the optimal senior management structure to deliver continued consistent financial out-performance as the Group continues to grow rapidly. Justin will now be responsible for all three of Loungers' brands, which will allow each of them to benefit from his invaluable industry experience and operational expertise.

Justin joined Loungers in 2015 as COO before becoming Lounge MD in 2017. He was previously Operations Director at Fuller Smith & Turner, prior to which he founded and then subsequently sold The Elbow Room, a chain of pool bars.

Loungers is also delighted to be appointing Kate Eastwood to replace Justin in the role of Lounge MD. Kate joins the Group from Fuller, Smith and Turner where she has been Operations Director for the past four years. She previously worked in a variety of roles for Revolution Bars Group, including Sales & marketing Director, and Director of Business Development.

Nick Collins, CEO of Loungers, said:

"As we grow and our ambitious site roll-out plan continues, it is critically important that we have a senior leadership structure in place that allows us to protect our unique culture whilst also building on the outstanding levels of hospitality and value that our brands are known for.

Justin has played an integral role in the huge success that our Lounge brand has enjoyed in recent years, and his promotion to the new position of Group MD is richly deserved. I am also delighted to be welcoming Kate to the Loungers team. She has a fantastic track record from her time at Fullers and Revolution, and I am confident that she will be more than capable of building on the strong foundations that Justin has helped to create."

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Notes to Editors

Loungers operates through its three established complementary brands - Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside - in the UK hospitality sector.  A Lounge is a neighbourhood café/bar combining elements of coffee shop culture, the British pub and dining. There are 218 Lounges nationwide.  Lounges are principally located in secondary suburban high streets and small town centres.  The sites are characterised by informal, unique interiors with an emphasis on a warm, comfortable atmosphere, often described as a "home from home".

Cosy Clubs are more formal bars/restaurants offering reservations and table service but share many similarities with the Lounges in terms of their broad, all-day offering and their focus on hospitality and culture.  Cosy Clubs are typically located in city centres and large market towns.  Interiors tend to be larger and more theatrical than for a Lounge, and heritage buildings or first-floor spaces are often employed to create a sense of occasion.  There are 35 Cosy Clubs nationwide.

Brightside is a roadside dining concept and was launched in November 2022. The first Brightside location opened on the A38, south of Exeter, in February 2023, with the second opening in Saltash near Plymouth in June 2023 and the third in Honiton on the A303 in August 2023.